THE 


WHIP,   HOE,   AND   SWORD; 


THE    GULF-DEPARTMENT    IN    '63, 


BY 


GEORGE    H.   HEPWORTH. 


U 


Is  all  true    i>  it    i,>  ^-, 
Nay,  it  is  ten  times  true ;   for  truth  is  truth 
To  the  end  of  reckoning." 


SHAKSPEARE. 


BOSTON: 
WALKER,    WISE,    AND    COMPANY, 

245,  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1864. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1863,  by 

WALKER,   WISE,    AND    COMPANY, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  JOHN  WILSON  &  SON, 

.5,   WATER   STREET. 


TO   THE 

MEMBERS   OF  THE   CHURCH   OF   THE   UNITY, 

WHOSE   "  GOD    SPEED "    GAVE   HIM    STRENGTH   IN    ALL   THE   EXPERI 
ENCES   HEREIN   RELATED, 

fumble  SUork  is  U\espectfullg  Dedicate*! 

BY    THEIR    PASTOK. 


PREFACE, 


MY  book  was  written  con  amore,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  scenes  described.  I  never  journeyed  with 
out  my  note-book  and  pencil,  and  was  careful  to 
record  conversations  as  soon  as  possible  after  their 
occurrence. 

I  was  with  our  forces  when  they  marched 
through  the  Teche,  and  when  they  were  before 
Port  Hudson.  I  have  seen  our  boys  under  all 
possible  circumstances,  —  in  the  camp,  on  the 
inarch,  in  the  field,  and  in  the  hospital ;  and  I 
believe  that  the  world  never  saw  an  army  its  equal 
in  culture,  fortitude,  and  patriotism.  There  never 
has  been  a  time  in  our  history,  when  to  be  an 
American  citizen  or  an  American  soldier  could  be 
reckoned  so  great  a  privilege  as  it  is  to-day. 


VI  PREFACE. 

If  I  talk  a  great  deal  of  slavery,  it  is  because  I 
have  seen  a  great  deal  of  it.  If  I  say  no  good 
thing  of  it,  it  is  because  I  found  no  good  thing  in 
it.  I  learned  to  pity  the  slaveholder  and  the  slave, 
and  to  thank  God  and  the  genius  of  the  age  for 
the  Proclamation. 

I  have  to  express  my  warmest  gratitude  to  Gen. 
Banks,  who  kindly  allowed  me  every  privilege  in 
my  work  of  investigation,  and  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  the  successful  operation  of  the  free- 
labor  system  in  the  Gulf  Department.  Let  all 
honor  be  given  to  an  honorable  man. 

As  my  people  said  to  me  when  I  left  them,  so 
say  I  to  my  book,  "  God  speed  you !  " 


BOSTON,  Nov.  1863. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 

GOOD-BY   FOR  A    YEAR 9 


II. 

PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS 24 

III. 
LOUISIANIANS 85 

IV. 
THE  NEGRO 125 

V. 
CHARACTERS 195 

VI. 
ON  THE  MARCH 246 


THE  WHIP,  HOE,  AND  SWORD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR. 

FROM  the  very  first,  I  desired  to  go  to  the  war. 
I  felt  that  no  man  has  any  right  to  look  about 
him  for  an  excuse  to  stay  at  home.  If  blessed  with 
good  health,  his  first  duty  is  to  his  country ;  for, 
without  his  country's  benignant  laws  and  institu 
tions,  he  is  worth  just  nothing. 

When  I  looked  upon  those  who  had  put  on  the 
harness,  I  wanted  nothing  so  much  as  to  go  with 
them  ;  and,  when  I  looked  about  me  on  those  who 
remained  at  home,  my  desire  to  go  grew  apace. 

I  had  often  revelled  in  the  rich  scenes  of  the 
last  century,  when  a  lifetime  seemed  so  much ; 
when  one  generation  held  in  its  hands  the  fate  of 
many  ages;  and  when  manly  men  were  building 
the  future,  as  we  build  a  temple.  Those  were  glo 
rious  days,  and  days  in  which  it  was  a  sublime 
privilege  to  live.  The  rusty  sword  of  the  humblest 
farmer  was  as  much  needed  as  the  bright  Damas- 

i 


10  GOOD-BY   FOR  A   YEAR. 

cus  blade  of  the  leader.  Every  strong-limbed  man 
and  every  tender-hearted  woman  contributed  to 
that  aggregate  force  which  founded  a  new  empire. 
''^Will- thp^e-:  days  ever  come  again  ?  "  I  asked  my 
self  each  time  "I  laid  the  record  on  its  shelf. 
-  .'-'The'n  bam "e. through  our  New-England  homes  the 
invigorating  reverberations  from  Sumter.  The 
trumpet-tongued  cannon  seemed  to  thunder  forth 
the  prophecy  of  a  new  life.  The  church-bells 
joined  in  the  chorus ;  and  pulpit  and  rostrum  sent 
out  their  cry,  "  To  arms  for  Freedom  ! "  and  told 
us  that  the  days  of  chivalry  were  at  hand,  and  that 
every  willing  knight  was  needed  for  the  contest. 

It  mattered  not  that  I  was  the  humblest  disciple 
of  one  who  came  to  still  the  troubled  waters,  and 
to  bring  peace  upon  earth.  The  day  had  not  yet 
come  when  it  would  be  quite  safe  to  give  up  the 
sword  for  a  pruning-hook :  on  the  contrary,  our 
chief  duty  seemed  to  be  to  change  all  pruning- 
hooks  into  swords. 

So  I  said  to  my  people,  "  I  can  stay  no  longer  ; " 
and  they  kindly  answered,  "  Go,  and  God  speed 
you !  " 

On  the  sabbath  morning  when  I  reached  the  top 
of  the  hill  that  overlooked  our  camp,  the  bells 
began  to  ring,  summoning  the  villagers  to  the 
house  of  God.  It  seemed  to  me  that  they  had  a 
voice,  which  said,  — 


GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR.  11 

"  Chaplain,  the  work  before  you  is  hard,  but 
grand.  A  thousand  mothers,  wives,  and  daughters 
have  given  those  they  dearly  love  for  their  country. 
A  thousand  homes  will  support  your  arms,  while  a 
thousand  altar-fires  will  burn  low  for  nine  long 
months;  and  many,  alas  !  will  never  be  kindled  into 
their  wonted  brilliancy,  because  there  is  war, 
bloody  war,  in  the  land.  Look  to  your  duty.  Pray 
for  the  boy,  who,  until  now,  has  never  known  temp 
tation  ;  warn  the  husband  and  the  father  who  is 
walking,  as  fast  as  he  can,  in  the  road  that  leads  to 
moral  death,  and  who  will  bring  back  to  his  family, 
at  the  end  of  his  term  of  service,  a  poisoned  mind 
and  heart ;  and  when  the  dark  day  lowers,  and  the 
air  is  thick  with  battle-smoke,  speak,  with  the  Mas 
ter's  authority,  the  '  Peace,  be  still ! '  to  those  who 
have  fallen  ;  and  open,  with  the  hand  of  friendship 
and  of  prayer,  the  door  of  heaven,  that  they  may 
enter  to  receive  their  reward." 

All  this  the  many-toned  village  church-bells  rang 
out;  and  I  trembled  as  I  remembered  that  all  I 
could  offer  to  my  country  were  willing  hands  and 
a  willing  heart. 

We  started  from  Readville  at  ten  minutes  past 
one,  P.M.  I  need  not  repeat  that  it  was  on  Sun 
day  ;  for,  as  a  general  thing,  our  battles  have  been 
fought  and  our  movements  made  on  that  day.  We 
tried  to  effect  a  delay  until  Monday  ;  but  our  orders 


12  GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR. 

were  peremptory,  and  nothing  was  left  but  obe 
dience.  Indeed,  so  imperative  were  the  commands 
from  headquarters,  that  we  made  all  despatch, 
under  the  impression  that  our  services  would  be 
required  immediately.  We  had  not  then  been 
initiated  into  the  jocular  ways  of  Government  offi 
cials  ;  we  did  not  know  that  these  same  officials, 
who  are  receiving  large  salaries,  with  which  they 
are  enabled  to  exhibit  the  profundity  of  their 
ignorance,  oftentimes  please  themselves  by  getting 
our  troops  into  the  most  delightful  snarls,  and  then 
allowing  them  to  find  their  own  way  out.  We 
were  one  of  the  victims  of  this  most  fashionable 
recreation.  Hurrying  forward  with  all  speed, 
eager  to  do  our  work  in  the  fray,  we  reached  Gro- 
ton  Junction,  filed  out  of  the  cars,  and  stood  on  the 
wharf,  ready  to  embark  on  the  "  Commodore.77 
We  strained  our  eyes  with  looking,  knowing  we 
were  needed  in  New  York  at  once  ;  but  no  vessel 
appeared.  An  hour  passed,  and  another,  and  still 
another,  till  five  mortal  hours  sped  on  their  way ; 
when  the  steamer  rounded  leisurely  up  to  the 
wharf.  We  reached  New  York  on  Monday  morn 
ing,  and  our  colonel  at  once  reported  at  headquar 
ters.  To  our  chagrin,  the  officers  of  our  good 
Uncle  Sam  were  greatly  surprised  to  see  us. 

"  Did  you  not  distinctly  and  imperatively  order 
us  to  start  at  once  ? " 


GOOD-BY   FOR   A    YEAR.  13 

"  Certainly ;  but  is  that  any  reason  why  you 
should  do  so  ?  " 

It  was  very  much  like  the  invitation  to  dinner 
which  the  Chinaman  extended  to  his  friend :  the 
friend  did  not  know  enough  to  refuse,  and  so  gave 
offence  to  the  polite  celestial.  We  were  thus  let 
into  one  of  many  secrets.  We  learned,  that 
when  Government  telegraphs  in  seemingly  great 
haste,  commanding  a  regiment  to  move  at  once,  it 
is  only  because  it  is  in  good-humor,  and  enjoys  a 
joke.  You  may  hurry  as  much  as  you  will ;  you 
may  leave  behind  many  necessary  articles  which 
you  hoped  to  carry  with  you  j  you  may  even 
infuse  a  good  spirit  into  your  men  by  an  exciting 
and  patriotic  speech ;  you  may  stir  them,  so  that 
they  will  give  cheer  after  cheer  for  the  good  old 
flag,  and,  without  knowing  it,  come  to  the  "  Charge 
bayonet !  "  yet,  after  all,  this  whole  experience  is  to 
be  reckoned  among  the  delusions  of  war.  You  will 
probably  lie  in  barracks  for  weeks,  and  not  hear 
the  slightest  intimation  that  Government  needs 
you,  or  even  knows  of  your  existence. 

On  Sunday,  the  21st  of  December,  we  embarked 
on  the  "  Mississippi,"  bound  to  sea  with  sealed 
orders.  We  were  not  allowed  to  open  the  let 
ter  which  gave  us  our  destination  until  we  had 
steamed  due  south  twenty-four  hours.  We  all 
were  hopeful  and  happy  as  the  head  of  the  vessel 


14  GOOD-BY  FOR   A   YEAR. 

swung  round  in  the  Narrows ;  and  we  started  on 
our  journey,  our  hearts  keeping  time  with  the 
""  Hail,  Columbia !  "  of  our  band.  The  sun  set  glo 
riously  that  afternoon,  just  as  we  lost  sight  of  the 
great  busy  city  which  held  many  who  were  very 
dear  to  us ;  and  as  we  looked  forward  to  the  wide 
expanse  that  lay  stretched  before  us,  smooth  as  a 
western  prairie,  I,  for  the  first  time,  really  felt  that 
I  had  turned  my  face  from  my  home. 

The  next  morning,  the  breakfast-table  was  not 
quite  full.  There  was  many  a  "  vacant  chair,"  and 
many  a  lugubrious  face.  Neptune  must  be  a  very 
queer  individual ;  for  one  no  sooner  looks  upon  him 
than  he  is  attacked  with  strange  sensations,  which 
seem  to  have  no  local  habitation,  but,  Gypsy-like, 
.wander  all  over  the  body  from  head  to  foot.  The 
patient  at  once  loses  all  esteem  of  himself,  is  robbed 
of  all  elasticity,  and  sinks  on  his  couch,  or  on 
any  place  that  is  handy  ;  entertaining  the  most 
extreme  disgust  for  the  world,  and  for  every  par 
ticular  individual  in  it.  The  disease  is  attended 
with  great  self-reproach  ;  the  patient  wondering 
that  he  could  ever  have  been  induced  to  trust 
himself  in  any  thing  so  unstable  as  a  ship ;  and 
inwardly  vowing,  that  if  he  is  permitted  to  get  on 
land,  even  though  it  be  a  piece  only  large  enough 
to  stand  upon,  he  will  never  again  trust  himself  to 
be  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the  deep. 


GOOD-BY   FOR    A   YEAR.  15 

The  second  day  we  passed  Hatteras,  and  the  sea 
was  as  smooth  as  any  landsman  could  desire.  The 
winds  remembered  that  we  were  all  Union  boys, 
and  refused  to  tempt  the  ocean's  anger.  So  we 
sped  on  our  way,  each  hour  bringing  us  into 
warmer  weather,  until,  on  the  fourth  day,  we 
caught  sight  of  the  Bahamas.  After  that,  the  tem 
perature  was  so  inviting,  that  I  took  my  blanket 
every  night,  and  made  a  bed  for  myself  on  the  deck. 
On  the  fifth  day,  we  passed  the  Florida  Keys. 
These  islands,  as  well  as  the  Bahamas,  are  only 
sand-plains,  heaped  about  nuclei  of  coral ;  and  so 
low,  that  one  can  hardly  see  them  until  he  comes 
within  four  or  five  miles  of  them. 

We  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  moonlight 
nights  during  our  whole  passage ;  and  it  was  my 
delight  to  sit  on  the  rail  of  the  quarter-deck,  and 
watch  the  white,  sparkling  river  of  foam  in  which 
we  seemed  to  be  floating.  The  full  moon  gave  it 
the  appearance  of  snow,  while  its  own  phosphores 
cence  seemed  to  stud  it  with  brilliant  stars.  You 
can  hardly  imagine  any  thing  more  beautiful,  —  all 
around  you,  the  smooth  black  waters  of  the  Gulf; 
just  behind  you,  and  stretching  back  for  a  hun 
dred  feet  or  more,  a  rumbling,  tumbling  snow-drift, 
filled  with  sparkling  gems.  It  was  so  fascinating, 
that  I  used  to  sit  till  far  into  the  night,  watching 
its  endless  changes.  Once,  I  remember,  the  dol- 


16  GOOD-BY   FOR  A  YEAR. 

phins  played  for  a  while  about  our  ship  ;  and,  while 
they  flew  along  the  surface,  their  back  fins  cut 
through  the  water  with  such  rapidity,  that  they  left 
a  slender  line  of  phosphorescent  snow  behind  them. 
It  seemed  to  me  like  a  silver  line  of  poetry  written 
on  the  dark  page  of  the  ocean. 

We  had  a  delightful  time  in  the  Gulf;  for  all  our 
sea-sickness  was  gone,  and  every  thing  about  us 
was  pleasant  to  behold.  We  reached  Ship  Island  in 
seven  days  and  a  half;  and,  having  cast  anchor, 
learned  that  we  were  to  stay  just  thirty  minutes, 
and  then  start  for  New  Orleans.  The  island  is  a 
dreary  place  ;  only  a  huge  sand-bank,  at  one  end  of 
which  is  a  pond  of  brackish  water  filled  with  alli 
gators  ;  and,  at  the  other  end,  the  beginning  of  what 
may,  some  time,  be  an  impregnable  fort.  I  think, 
that,  even  now,  no  land  force  could  take  the  work : 
for,  except  immediately  after  a  heavy  rain,  one 
sinks  more  than  ankle-deep  in  sand;  and,  when 
there  is  a  heavy  wind,  the  hillocks  actually  change 
their  positions,  —  the  process  of  emigration  filling 
the  air  with  gritty  particles  enough  to  give  the 
whole  world  the  ophthalmia.  I  have  often  thought 
that  the  topography  of  the  island  must  be  very  puz 
zling  to  a  systematic  man.  He  may  labor  during 
the  day,  and  at  nightfall  every  elevation  shall  be  cor 
rectly  positioned.  When  the  night  comes,  bringing 
a  strong  south-easter,  he  sleeps  with  his  maps  under 


GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR.  17 

his  head  for  security.  In  the  morning,  he  emerges 
from  his  tent,  and  alternately  views  his  map  and 
the  landscape.  Some  prestidigitateur  has  been  at 
work.  None  of  the  hillocks  are  where  they  ought 
to  be.  Like  an  army,  they  only  bivouacked  where 
he  found  them ;  since  which  time,  they  have  seen 
fit  to  "  change  their  base."  Ship  Island  is  a  grand 
place  for  one  who  is  disgusted  with  the  world,  but 
a  very  disagreeable  place  for  one  who  has  any 
desire  to  enjoy  himself. 

We  started  at  four,  P.M.  ;  and  anchored  just  off 
the  Bar,  in  the  "  Father  of  Waters,"  some  time  the 
next  evening.  I  was  glad  of  this  ;  for  it  gave  me 
an  opportunity  to  see  the  plantations  on  each  side 
of  the  river,  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much. 

Early  in  the  morning,  we  entered  the  South 
west  Pass,  crossed  the  Bar,  and  passed  the  sunken 
wreck  of  the  fire-boat  which  the  rebels  had  set 
adrift,  in  hopes  thereby  to  fire  Farragut's  fleet. 
It  ended  its  ignoble  career  as  it  should ;  finding  a 
grave  in  Mississippi  mud. 

The  river  presented  no  objects  of  interest  for 
many  miles ;  indeed,  not  until  we  reached  the 
Forts  St.  Philip  and  Jackson.  Jackson  is  the  prin 
cipal  work,  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river, 
and  almost  immediately  opposite  Fort  St.  Philip. 
We  saw  nothing  to  remind  us  of  the  struggle  which 
gave  us  New  Orleans,  except  a  gunboat  or  two 


18  GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR. 

destroyed  during  the  fight,  and  driven  as  high  as 
possible  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Yet,  said  they 
who  saw  the  fight,  it  was  a  terrible  contest.  The 
rebels  were  fresh,  eager  for  the  fray,  and  reckless 
in  their  daring.  They  believed  themselves  secure 
against  any  attack  of  the  Federals.  They  had 
strengthened  their  fortifications  in  every  possible 
way,  and  had  mounted  guns  which  have  since 
been  proved  excellent.  A  picket-guard  had  been 
stationed  a  couple  of  miles  below  to  signal  the 
first  approach  of  the  enemy.  They  could  com 
mence  to  fire  at  our  boats  when  over  two  miles 
distant.  Besides  all  this,  they  had  three  immense 
iron  cables  stretched  across  the  river,  to  which 
was  attached  a  bridge  j  so  that  communication  be 
tween  the  two  forts  was  complete.  If  our  fleet 
should  succeed  in  getting  opposite  the  fort,  this 
impediment  would  bar  its  further  progress  ;  and, 
before  it  could  get  out  of  range  again,  it  would  be 
utterly  destroyed.  But  — 

"  The  best-laid  schemes  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  agley." 

Our  fleet-commander  was  aware  of  the  existence 
of  this  chain,  and  destroyed  it  in  a  very  neat  way. 
The  water  runs,  at  this  point,  about  three  miles  an 
hour.  This  tremendous  pressure  brought  a  great 
strain  against  the  iron  ;  and,  when  the  floating- 
bridge  was  attached,  the  current  pressed  against 


GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR.  19 

the  immense  amount  of  woodwork,  and  strained  the 
cable  to  its  utmost.  Our  commander,  knowing 
this,  sent  one  of  his  fleetest  boats  —  a  boat  with 
an  iron  prow,  and  sharp  —  to  stem  the  current  at 
its  utmost  speed,  and  strike  the  cable  in  the  centre 
of  the  river,  where  the  pressure  was  greatest. 
The  experiment  was  remarkably  successful.  The 
boat  hit  the  chain  in  just  the  right  place,  and  it 
parted  as  if  by  magic  ;  one  half  the  bridge  floating 
to  the  east  side  of  the  river,  and  the  other  half  to 
the  west  side.  I  have  often,  when  a  boy,  bent  a 
young  tree,  half  as  thick  as  my  arm,  almost  to 
the  ground,  and  then,  striking  it  on  the  upper  side 
where  the  strain  was  greatest,  cut  it  completely 
through  with  the  quick  blow  of  a  hatchet.  It  was 
in  the  same  way  that  the  great  chain  was  broken. 

The  fleet  of  the  Union  came  up  the  river  slowly, 
—  feeling  its  way  along,  fearing  some  infernal  ma 
chine,  —  and  nothing  was  heard  on  that  calm  but 
dark  night  save  the  striking  of  their  paddles  in 
the  water.  The  decks  were  filled  with  men,  who 
expected  to  pay  a  heavy  price  for  the  victory,  and 
who  were  willing  to  give  their  lives.  The  pilot, 
Porter,  knew  every  shoal,  every  bend,  every  snag. 
If  anybody  could  take  our  fleet  by  those  forts, 
Porter  was  the  man.  I  have  thought,  what  an 
hour  of  intense  excitement  that  must  have  been  on 
both  sides  !  The  rebels  did  not  believe  that  our 


20  GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR. 

men  would  attempt  such  a  hopeless  task,  yet  kept 
on  the  alert ;  and,  on  that  night;  trained  ears  were 
listening  to  catch  the  sound  of  paddle-wheels, 
and  trained  eyes  were  peering  through  the  dark 
ness.  Nobody  saw  the  glorious  stars  and  stripes 
which  were  floating  to  the  breeze  from  the  mast 
head  of  every  gunboat.  Nobody  saw  the  stars 
and  bars  which  were  polluting  the  air  above  the 
forts.  Soon,  however,  the  terrific  conflict  between 
right  and  wrong  began.  Our  leading  gunboats 
could  not  have  been  much  more  than  half  a  mile 
distant  from  the  fort,  when  the  battle  opened  by 
iron  hail  from  the  rebel  guns.  Our  boats  did  not 
answer  for  a  while,  but  kept  steadily  on,  hugging 
the  farther  shore.  When,  however,  they  were 
directly  opposite  Fort  St.  Philip,  their  voices  were 
heard ;  and  they  poured  upon  the  rebels  a  rain 
which  they  were  not  prepared  for.  Still  we  kept 
right  on  ;  the  object  being  to  get  by  the  forts. 

What  a  picture  for  the  historian  to  draw  !  The 
night  was  so  dark,  that  the  rebels  could  see  to  fire, 
only  by  the  flashes  from  our  guns,  or  perchance 
by  the  grim  blackness  of  our  gunboats,  seen  against 
the  lighter  background  of  sky. 

I  need  not  say,  that  our  entire  fleet  got  by  the 
forts ;  and  that  that  night's  work  opened  for  us 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  gave  us  New 
Orleans. 


GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR.  21 

As  we  turned  bend  after  bend  in  the  river,  our 
eves  —  alas  !  it  was  only  our  eyes  —  were  greeted 
by  orange-groves  laden  with  their  luscious  fruit. 
All  on  board  played  the  part  of  Tantalus :  for  we 
thirsted  for  the  delicious  drink  contained  in  the 
yellow  spheres  ;  and  it  was  almost,  but  not  quite, 
within  our  reach. 

The  Mississippi  is  indeed  a  mighty  and  marvel 
lous  river.  When  it  rises  in  the  spring,  rolling  its 
lordly  and  muddy  flood  with  the  impetuosity  of  a 
smaller  stream,  the  planters  look  carefully  to  their 
levees ;  for  their  land,  and  all  their  houses,  are 
from  five  to  eight  feet  below  the  boiling  surface  of 
the  water  :  and  when,  in  the  summer,  it  falls,  they 
must  again  be  vigilant ;  for  it  often  happens,  that 
the  swift  current  digs  out  the  side  of  the  bank 
under  the  levee ;  so  that,  when  the  water  falls,  an 
acre  or  two  will  cave  in.  The  river  will  some 
times  rob  one  planter  of  twenty  acres  by  compell 
ing  him  to  place  his  levee  two  hundred  feet  back 
from  the  bank,  and  give  another  planter  twenty 
acres  by  changing  its  channel.  The  Father  of 
Waters  is  very  capricious. 

The  river  at  New  Orleans  rises  in  the  spring 
thirteen  feet  from  its  ordinary  level ;  at  Baton 
Rouge,  it  rises  about  twenty-seven  feet ;  and,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  some  fifty  or  sixty  feet. 
The  floods  at  the  Yellow  Stone  make  no  percepti- 


22  GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR. 

ble  change  in  the  river  at  New  Orleans  for  thirty 
days  after  their  commencement. 

There  is  one  shell-fish  which  seems  to  be  work 
ing  in  the  way  of  Providence  and  the  Union 
so  zealously,  that  he  deserves  a  passing  notice. 
The  fiddler  resembles  a  crab,  though  he  is  much 
smaller.  He  seems  to  be  impressed  with  the  fact, 
that  men  have  no  right  to  limit  the  river,  by  means 
of  levees,  to  the  narrow  space  between  its  banks  ; 
and,  further,  that  it  can  help  the  Federals  in  over 
coming  the  rebels  who  live  near  it.  Thus  im 
pressed,  it  works  steadily,  night  and  day,  boring 
holes  through  the  Levee.  I  have  seen  a  levee 
completely  honeycombed  by  these  creatures. 
They  are  to  be  counted  by  millions  ;  and  will  dig 
through  an  earthwork  ten,  and  even  fifteen,  feet  in 
thickness.  Half  the  disasters  along  the  river  are 
to  be  attributed  to  these  little  creatures.  Verily, 
the  planters  are  being  well  punished ;  for  they  fear 
nothing  so  much  as  these  Union  fiddlers. 

None  of  the  whites  greeted  us  with  a  single 
cheer  on  our  entire  river -passage.  They  only 
deigned  to  thrust  their  hands  as  deeply  as  possible 
into  their  pockets,  and  gaze  sullenly  at  us.  "Why 
should  they  be  glad  to  see  us  ?  Is  the  thief,  who 
has  stolen  goods  in  his  possession,  desirous  of  an 
intimacy  with  the  sturdy  policeman  who  is  on  his 
track?  They  are  the  veriest  cowards  of  the 


GOOD-BY   FOR   A   YEAR.  23 

South 5  men,  or  rather  things  in  men's  clothes, 
who  are  too  careful  of  their  precious  lives  to 
go  into  the  Confederate  Army ;  and  so  lounge 
about  at  home,  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  with 
lying  lips,  and  spitting  at  Union  soldiers  behind 
their  backs. 

The  blacks  alone  welcomed  us  with  vociferous 
shouts  and  frantic  gestures.  Whether  they  knew 
the  deep  significance  of  the  day,  —  the  1st  of  Ja 
nuary, —  or  not,  I  cannot  say.  They  gathered,  in 
little  companies  of  ten  or  twenty,  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  in  front  of  their  masters'  dwellings ; 
and,  as  we  went  by,  greeted  us  with  peals  of 
laughter,  and  cheers  for  the  "  Northerners." 

That  night,  we  anchored  just  opposite  the  lower 
end  of  the  city.  The  next  morning,  we  reported 
at  headquarters,  were  very  kindly  received  by 
Gen.  Banks,  and  ordered  to  proceed  at  once  to 
Carrollton,  some  fourteen  miles  up  the  river  ; 
which  place  we  reached  in  due  time. 


24         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

PLANTERS   AND    PLANTATIONS. 

WHEN  I  first  went  to  the  St.  Charles  to  pay 
my  respects  to  Gen.  Banks,  he  was  kind 
enough  to  say  that  he  would  be  glad  to  help  me 
in  any  way  I  might  suggest ;  and  that  I  might 
call  upon  him  at  any  future  time,  and  remind  him 
of  his  promise.  I  kept  these  words  in  my  heart ; 
for  I  had  already  begun  to  feel  that  my  chaplaincy 
tended  to  confine  rather  than  give  ample  scope  to 
my  desire  for  work. 

We  had  been  in  Carrollton  but  a  few  days,  when 
the  glad  tidings  came,  "  To  the  front ! "  but,  the 
very  next  day,  some  good  excuse  was  discovered 
for  disobedience  ;  and  we  immediately  began  to 
take  root  where  we  were.  I  afterwards  heard,  on 
good  authority,  that  the  order  had  been  repeated, 
and  that  a  second  time  an  excuse  had  been  found. 
The  boys  of  the  regiment  were  all  earnestly  sorry. 
They  left  their  friends  with  the  expectation  of 
doing  their  part  in  the  general  bayonet-exercise ; 
and  were  loud  in  their  complaints  when  it  was 
discovered  that  the  colors  were  to  be  as  fresh  and 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         25 

bright  at  the  end  of  the  nine  months  as  at  the 
beginning.  The  staff-officers  were  so  unanimous  in 
their  disapproval  of  such  a  "  peace  policy,"  that, 
in  a  few  weeks,  not  one  was  left.  Each  had  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  detached,  and  sent  from  the  city 
on  special  duty. 

The  truth  is,  there  are  some  old  women  in  the 
army.  A  pity  it  is  that  they  cannot  be  convinced 
of  their  sex ! 

The  moment  I  saw  the  actual  position  of  aifairs, 
and  had  fully  assured  myself  of  the  direction 
which  the  current  of  our  fortunes  was  to  take,  I 
went  to  Gen.  Banks,  and  reminded  him  of  his  pro 
mise.  He  agreed  to  give  me  a  commission  as  first 
lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  Louisiana  Native  Guards, 
and  thence  detail  me  as  aide-de-camp.  This  very 
kind  offer  I  at  once  accepted,  because  it  would 
give  me  an  honorable  position,  and  afford  me  ample 
opportunity  to  choose  my  own  fields  of  labor. 

Just  at  that  time,  the  negro  question  was  pressed 
with  unusual  force  upon  our  attention.  Large 
numbers  of  blacks  were  crowding  within  our  lines, 
and  Government  was  issuing  to  each  person  about 
three-quarters  of  a  ration  per  day.  The  children 
were  dying  in  frightful  numbers  ;  and  the  general 
mortality  was  such,  that  the  whole  subject  de 
manded  immediate  attention.  These  people  were 
living  in  the  most  unhealthy  localities,  and,  without 


26         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

doubt,  in  the  most  immoral  way.  They  found  no 
work,  and  were  really  in  a  very  pitiable  condition. 
The  best  thing  to  do  was  to  enlist  all  the  able- 
bodied  men,  confiscate  every  plantation  in  the 
department,  and,  dividing  land  up  into  twenty-acre 
lots,  give  each  black  family  one  such  lot,  and  let 
them  try  the  experiment  of  free  labor  for  them 
selves.  They  had  earned  it  by  the  faithful  labor 
of  three  generations ;  and  their  masters  deserved 
such  punishment  for  being  found  in  armed  rebel 
lion  against  the  United-States  Government.  But 
it  is  not  always  possible  to  do  the  best  thing ;  and, 
in  the  present  case,  no  such  Spartan  justice  could 
be  dealt  to  our  white  enemies  and  black  friends. 
The  enlistment  of  blacks  had  at  that  time  almost 
entirely  ceased.  What  caused  the  calm,  I  do  not 
know.  We  were  not  equal  to  so  grand  a  measure. 
We  needed  that  the  vast  tide  of  death  should  roll 
by  our  own  doors,  and  sweep  away  our  fathers 
and  sons,  before  we  could  come  to  our  senses,  and 
give  the  black  the  one  boon  he  has  been  asking  for 
so  long,  —  permission  to  fight  for  our  common 
country,  and  against  his  oppressors  and  our  ene 
mies. 

There  can,  therefore,  be  no  question  in  the  mind 
of  any  thinking  man,  that  it  was  far  better  to 
induce  these  negroes  to  return  to  their  homes,  and 
get  in  a  crop  for  the  coming  season,  than  to  allow 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         27 

them  to  live  on  the  Government  rations,  and  do   / 
nothing  but  contract  vicious  habits  by  reason  of  I 
proximity  to  our  camps.      These  were  the  very 
strong  reasons  that  urged  me  to  undertake  the 
work    of    putting   the    labor    system   into    opera 
tion. 

I  did  not  wholly  like  the  agreement  between  the 
Government  and  the  planters.  I  never  believed  in 
the  permission  which  was  given  to  the  latter  to 
raise  a  cane-crop.  They  did  not  deserve  to  have^ 

their   interests    consulted    in    this    matter.      The  | 

. 

whole  plan  was  devised  and  executed  for  the  well-  I 
being  of  the  negro  alone.  So  long  as  the  planter 
holds  any  legal  rights  in  the  slave,  he  will  be  the 
enemy  of  the  Government ;  and  his  rights,  so  called, 
are  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a  single  moment.  I 
regretted,  therefore,  that  a  spear  of  cane  was 
allowed  to  show  itself  above  the  ground.  I  would  | 
have  had  nothing  but  a  crop  of  corn  and  vegeta-  ; 
bles,  —  products  which  will  not  find  their  way  into 
the  pockets  of  our  foes,  but  into  the  stomachs  of 
our  friends.  Still  this  could  not  be  urged,  forsooth, 
because  our  over-careful  President  was  desirous  to 
conciliate.  There  had  been  harsh  measures  enough 
in  this  department ;  and  since  Butler  had  stroked 
the  cat  from  tail  to  head,  and  found  her  full  of 
yawl  and  scratch,  it  was  determined  to  stroke  her 
from  head  to  tail,  and  see  if  she  would  not  hide 


28         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

her  claws,  and  commence  to  purr.     So  the  planter 
I  was  touched  very  tenderly,  if  he  was  touched  at 
all. 

The  labor  system  was  well  enough  in  its  concep 
tion.  The  central  idea  was  just  and  humane.  It 
required,  however,  to  be  carefully  watched,  lest 
the  overseers  of  plantations  should  get  back  to 
their  old  tricks  with  the  whip,  and  lest  the  planters 
themselves  should  fail  to  give  their  hands  proper 
food  and  clothing.  The  plan  would  undoubtedly 
work  well,  provided  this  vigilance  wras  active  ;  and 
provided,  again,  that,  in  case  of  a  flagrant  misde 
meanor  of  this  kind,  the  offender  should  be  visited 
with  condign  punishment,  and  the  plantation 
stripped  of  every  thing,  as  a  reminder  that  the 
old  times  have  gone  by,  and  the  new  times  have 
come.  In  other  words,  it  would  be  successful,  if  the 
planters  were  made  aware  that  the  labor  system 
[  and  slavery  are  twTo  very  different  things,  and  not 
synonymous. 

The  worth  of  the  plan  has  been  practically  illus 
trated.  The  great  majority  of  the  negroes  have 
4  been  rendered  comparatively  happy  and  contented. 
They  have  homes.  They  do  not  work  during  the 
hottest  part  of  the  day.  They  have  their  families 
about  them,  and  are  higher  in  the  social  scale,  and 
more  independent  and  more  cheerful,  than  they 
have  ever  been  before.  They  know  that  they  are 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         29 

no  longer  chattels.  They  are  very  rapidly  learn 
ing  their  own  power  and  worth.  In  every  contest 
between  the  master  and  his  slaves,  the  latter  inva 
riably  win  the  day.  They  have  a  mine  of  strategy, 
to  which  the  planter  sooner  or  later  yields.  For 
instance :  A  few  days  ago,  a  gentleman  below  the 
city  hired  a  new  overseer,  one  who  was  obnoxious 
to  the  hands  on  account  of  his  reputation.  He  was 
in  the  habit  of  wielding  the  whip  pretty  freely,  and 
of  using  abusive  language  to  the  negro  women. 
On  the  morning  when  he  arrived  to  enter  on  his 
duties,  a  delegation  from  the  field -hands  waited 
upon  the  proprietor,  and  very  respectfully  stated 
their  objections  against  the  new-comer.  When 
they  had  finished,  the  master  indulged  in  some 
very  strong  language,  —  forgetting  that  times  had 
somewhat  changed,  —  and  bade  them  go  about  their 
business,  telling  them  that  he  would  hire  whom 
soever  he  chose  to  be  overseer.  They  remonstrated 
still  further,  saying  that  the  hands  could  not  work 
under  such  a  man,  but  that  they  would  work  cheer 
fully  under  any  one  else.  He  dismissed  them  with 
an  oath.  The  matter,  however,  did  not  end  there. 
The  delegation  at  once  went  to  their  cabins,  packed 
up  their  little  bundles,  and  started  on  the  road  to 
Fort  Jackson.  They  knew,  that,  once  there,  they 
could  get  employment.  They  had  not  gone  far, 
however,  before  the  master  came  to  his  senses. 


30         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

He  was  no  longer  the  owner  of  mere  chattels. 
Some  change  had  come  over  slavery  •  and  he  was 
surprised  to  find  that  those  whom  he  had  so  often 
stigmatized  as  "  things/'  and  counted  at  so  much 
"  per  head  "  as  he  did  his  cows  and  hogs,  were 
growing  very  rapidly  into  the  likeness  of  men, 
"  who  know  their  rights,  and,  knowing,  dare  main 
tain."  He  called  them  all  back ;  told  them  they 
should  have  any  overseer  they  wanted :  upon  which 
they  unpacked  their  bundles,  and  went  quietly  to 
the  field,  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

At  Berwick's  Bay  there  is  no  labor  system,  and 
the  negroes  are  in  a  most  deplorable  condition. 
Six  thousand  came  from  the  plantations  between 
the  bay  and  Alexandria ;  and  are  living  in  such  a 
way,  that  the  mortality  during  the  summer  will  be 
most  terrible.  The  able-bodied  men  have  enlisted. 
The  old,  the  young,  and  the  women  are  living  in 
little  huts,  with  nothing  to  do,  with  no  comforts 
when  they  are  ill,  and  with  more  than  a  fair  pro 
spect  of  a  speedy  death  before  them.  They  are 
free  ;  but,  alas  !  freedom  only  means  the  power  to 
die.  Their  proper  place,  indeed  the  only  place 
where  they  can  learn  the  meaning  and  the  privi 
leges  of  freedom,  is  on  the  plantation,  as  hired 
hands.  Then,  if  one  or  two  or  a  thousand  are  able 
to  do  something  better  than  dig  corn,  they  ought  to 
have  perfect  liberty  to  try  their  pluck  and  their 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         31 

luck  in  the  city.  In  this  way,  there  will  be  a  home 
to  start  from  ;  a  home  where  the  wife  and  children 
earn  their  daily  bread,  while  the  sturdy  father  is 
working  his  way  in  the  great  world  up  to  a  dollar 
a  day.  But  this  taking  the  negroes  from  the  plan 
tations  where  they  can  and  should  be  protected, 
and  huddling  them  together  where  they  must 
starve  and  die,  proves  the  worth  of  the  labor  sys 
tem,  when  carried  out  in  the  right  spirit. 

I  was  very  much  gratified  to  have  the  general 
superintendence  of  this  experiment ;  for  it  gave  me 
an  opportunity  to  visit  all  the  plantations  in  the 
department,  and  afforded  me  an  insight  into  South 
ern  life.  I  entered  upon  the  work  at  once,  and 
with  alacrity.  I  visited  nearly  every  important 
place  from  Baton  Rouge  to  Fort  Jackson.  I  saw 
planters  in  their  best  and  in  their  worst  moods  : 
when  they  were  glum  ;  when  they  wanted  to  be 
impudent,  and,  not  quite  daring  to  be  so  for  fear  of 
consequences,  set  their  wives  on  me,  —  from  whose 
tongues  I  invariably  beat  as  hasty  a  retreat  as  pos 
sible  ;  and  when  they  were  in  good  humor,  and 
ready  to  give  me  any  data  I  desired. 

Here  the  remembrance  of  my  sufferings  from 
the  climate  of  the  lower  part  of  the  State  comes 
up  so  vividly,  that  I  must  be  allowed  to  make  a 
digression  in  order  to  describe  it.  Of  all  things 
horrible,  most  horrible,  this  is  certainly  the  worst. 


32          PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

To  say  it  is  unhealthy,  is  to  be  very  compli 
mentary.  The  soil  of  the  country  is  made  up 
of  vegetable  matter,  which  is  yet  in  the  process  of 
decomposition.  Dig  down  three  feet,  and  you 
come  to  water.  In  twenty-four  hours,  that  water 
exhales  a  most  nauseous  odor,  which  no  one  can 
take  into  his  lungs  with  impunity.  If  you  sleep 
out  of  doors,  no  matter  what  precautions  you  may 
take,  you  will  be  sure  to  succumb  to  an  attack  of 
chills,  which  will  rack  your  system,  and  make  you 
hollow-eyed  and  hollow-cheeked  in  a  few  days.  If 
you  get  sick  with  fever,  the  chances  are  that  you 
will  not  get  well.  Physicians  tell  me  that  medi 
cines  fail  here  which  have  never  been  known  to 
fail  at  the  North.  There  is  nothing  vitalizing  in 
the  air.  A  man  comes  to  this  country  with  his 
vital  mercury  at  eighty.  In  a  little  while,  he 
catches  cold,  and  the  mercury  sinks  to  sixty. 
Slowly,  slowly,  it  moves  upward ;  but  it  always 
stops  somewhere  among  the  seventies.  It  will  not 
get  up  to  the  full  eighty  again  ;  and,  every  time  he 
is  ill,  the  less  chance  there  is  of  his  getting  well. 
There  is  no  place  on  the  river,  south  of  Baton 
Kouge,  where  one  can  live  the  exposed  life  of  the 
soldier  with  impunity.  The  most  rugged  systems 
yield  by  degrees  to  the  fatal  miasm  with  which  the 
night  air  is  laden ;  and  boys,  who  in  Maine,  two 
years  ago,  cut,  split,  and  piled  their  two  cords  of 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         33 

wood  a  day,  go  regularly  at  surgeon's  call  to  get 
their  five  grains  of  quinine. 

Indeed,  none  of  the  lower  part  of  the  State  has 
yet  reached  that  geological  age  in  which  the  soil  is 
fit  for  the  residence  of  man.  Had  it  been  let 
alone  for  a  couple  of  centuries,  the  many  thou 
sands  of  tons  of  sediment  which  the  river  daily 
brings  from  the  North,  and  which  it  is  now  com 
pelled  to  deposit  at  the  passes,  —  every  year  thrust 
ing  the  land  out  into  the  sea  some  two  hundred 
feet,  —  would  have  been  spread  by  the  kindly  hand 
of  Nature  over  the  whole  area  of  Lower  Louisiana, 
and  the  State  would  by  this  time  have  attained  an 
average  elevation  of  six  feet  above  its  present 
mosquito  and  alligator  level. 

The  proper  hint  to  civilizers  was  given  by  De 
Soto,  who  struck  north-west  from  Mobile,  and 
landed  somewhere  near  the  mouth  of  the  Red 
River.  But  Cavalier  de  la  Salle,  in  1682,  paddled 
up  the  river  from  its  mouth ;  and  when  the  Iro- 
quois  met  in  solemn  conclave  to  determine  whether 
permission  should  be  given  to  the  white  man  to 
settle,  and  their  chief  Mansoria  had  decided  in  the 
negative,  he  appeared  in  person  before  the  grave 
council,  and  used  such  eloquent  and  persuasive 
words,  that  the  voice  of  the  chief  was  drowned, 
and  the  fatal  permission  obtained.  It  was  indeed  a 
grave  privilege  which  the  red  man  yielded  to  the 


34         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

whites.  The  vast  chemical  processes  were  inter 
fered  with ;  and  to-day,  instead  of  having  a  terri 
tory  finished  by  Nature,  with  her  signature  on  it, 
"  It  is  good  for  the  habitation  of  man,"  we  have 
a  country  in  which  man  insists  upon  living,  but 
which  is  fit  only  as  a  home  for  the  alligator  and  the 
snake. 

To  a  stranger,  this  language  may  seem  extrava 
gant  ;  but,  to  one  who  has  lived  in  these  parts,  it  is 
exceedingly  moderate.  Take  a  stroll  some  fine  day 
from  the  planter's  house,  along  the  road  leading  to 
the  woods.  The  air  is  filled  with  a  universal  hum. 
It  is  the  singing  of  the  mosquitoes,  who  come  in 
dense  clouds,  and  sometimes  in  such  countless 
numbers,  that  even  the  mules,  though  covered  from 
ears  to  tail  with  bagging,  refuse  to  work,  and  the 
horses  are  literally  sprinkled  with  blood.  But  be 
careful  how  you  walk ;  for  there  lies  across  your 
path  that  prototype  of  some  Northern  politicians, 
the  copperhead !  And  be  careful  again ;  for  I 
hear  the  warning  rattle  of  the  only  chivalrous 
snake  in  the  woods  !  And,  now  that  you  have 
reached  the  sluggish  bayou,  you  notice  at  a  glance 
a  dozen  square-built,  roof-like  heads  moving  slowly 
on  the  surface  of  the  water.  These  uncouth,  un 
gainly  creatures,  who  disport  themselves  regardless 
of  your  presence,  seem  to  be  the  representatives  of 
a  distant  geological  period. 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         35 

The  overhanging  woods,  the  tall,  broad,  live-oak; 
and  the  forlorn -looking,  spire -like  cypress,  are 
covered  with  aerial  moss,  which  clings  to  all  the 
branches,  and  hangs  gracefully  down  for  six  or 
eight  feet.  As  you  look  at  the  picture,  remember 
ing  the  nature  of  the  soil  under  your  feet,  and 
looking  round  on  the  tall,  rank  grass  covering  the 
prairie,  you  are  surprised  at  your  own  presence  in 
such  a  scene.  It  belongs,  not  to  the  present,  but 
to  the  distant  past. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  I  am  now  speaking 
of  Lower  Louisiana.  The  scenery  from  Baton 
Rouge  northward  is  very  fine.  The  ground  is 
undulating,  the  air  is  pure,  the  reptiles  and  vermin 
are  less  numerous,  and  the  country  is  more  healthy  ; 
but  our  soldiers  have  been  stationed  on  the  lower 
coasts  of  the  river,  and  have  contracted  all  manner 
of  diseases  from  the  fatal  climate. 

I  was  gratified  that  my  position  gave  me  an  op 
portunity  to  look  into  the  social  life  of  the  South, 
and  compare  it  with  that  of  the  North.  I  have 
always  had  an  awe  of  what  has  been  termed  the 
"  chivalry  and  high  breeding  of  the  South."  I 
early  fell  into  the  popular  ruts ;  and  when  A.  H. 
Stephens  said,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  new 
Confederacy  was  to  be  made  up  of  the  elite  of  the 
world,  I  was  ready  to  admit,  that  in  open-handed 
generosity,  and  a  certain  social  polish,  the  sun  did 


36         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

operate  in  different  ways  upon  those  south  and 
north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  But  I  had  not 
travelled  far,  before  this  matter  and  its  philosophy 
were  made  plain.  I  saw  at  once  where  all  this 
balderdash  came  from,  and  only  laughed  at  myself 
for  my  folly  in  being  duped  so  long.  There  are,  in 
the  South,  a  certain  number  of  families  who  boast  a 
well-to-do  ancestry.  They  are,  in  pecuniary  mat 
ters,  far  above  want.  They  are  proud,  as  they 
have  a  right  to  be,  of  their  grandfathers  ;  and 
they  cultivate  the  fine  arts,  and  bear  themselves 
with  the  dignity  becoming  a  good  position.  This 
society  of  exclusives  is,  however,  small.  It  is 
everywhere  small.  But  the  aristocratic  institu 
tions  of  the  country  make  these  few  families  the 
apex  of  the  historic  and  social  cone,  always  promi 
nent,  and  a  sort  of  beacon-light  by  which  all  the 
rest  of  society  is  governed.  Now,  in  the  North,  we 
have  just  as  many  families  who  are  well-to-do  in 
the  world,  and  whose  grandfathers  were  very 
respectable  personages.  They  also  cultivate  the 
fine  arts,  and  are  distinguished  everywhere  by 
their  gentlemanly  bearing.  They  travel,  visit  the 
worthiest  celebrities  of  Europe,  bring  home  a  re 
fined  polish  of  manner,  and  a  certain  ease,  which 
mark  the  gentleman  everywhere.  But  these  first 
families  are  not  necessarily  prominent  marks,  when 
you  look  at  our  social  life  ;  because  the  whole  struc- 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         37 

ture  of  our  society  is  democratic.  They  do  not 
openly  lead  society ;  for  all  about  them  is  a  hurry 
and  a  bustle,  in  which  their  presence  is  wholly 
forgotten.  Ask  a  Louisianian  who  are  the  best 
families  of  the  State,  and  he  will  instantly  put  his 
right  fore-finger  on  his  left  fore-finger,  and  begin 
with  number  one.  Ask  a  man  from  the  Bay  State 
the  same  question,  and  he  will  tell  you  he  does  not 
know,  and  does  not  care.  The  two  answers  are 
entirely  characteristic. 

This  boast  of  ancestry  is  all  very  well  in  its  way  ; 
but  when  one's  neck  is  constantly  crooked  over  his 
shoulder,  and  one's  lips  are  ever  recounting  the 
brave  deeds  of  another,  it  suggests  unpleasant 
reflections  concerning  the  imbecility  of  the  present 
representative  of  the  family.  If  one  can  do  no 
thing  himself,  it  is  well  enough  for  him  to  spend 
his  time  studying  the  biography  of  his  ancestors. 
And  yet  I  confess  to  a  sort  of  disagreeable  feeling 
as  I  enter  a  house  pervaded  with  this  musty  atmo 
sphere.  It  takes  my  breath  away :  and,  as  I  look 
up  at  the  dingy  old  portrait  of  him  in  the  big  bag 
wig,  —  the  sturdy  old  root  from  which  has  grown 
these  many  genealogical  shoots,  —  I  feel  a  certain 
awkwardness ;  for  it  always  seems  to  look  down  on 
me  with  hard  eyes,  and  as  though  it  would  say, 
"  Young  man,  your  grandfather  was  nothing  but  an 
honest  Yorkshire  mechanic ;  and,  while  he  was  ply- 


38         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

ing  his  trade,  I  was  on  the  high  seas,  the  captain 
of  an  l  Alabama.'  "  And  then  the  dingy  old  portrait 
seems  to  hang  against  the  wall  more  stiffly  than 
ever.  However,  I  have  never  allowed  these  reflec 
tions  to  interfere  with  my  duty;  and  I  have  never 
found  among  the  grandchildren  of  these  great  ones 
any  thing  to  remind  me  that  they  were  more  than 
common  dust.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  pleasantest 
and  most  prophetic  characteristics  of  the  true  re 
publican,  —  and  I  claim  the  right  to  be  known  as 
such,  —  that  he  is  taught  never  to  stand  in  the 
shadow  of  his  father's  doings,  but  to  step  boldly 
out  into  the  world,  and  grow  to  such  manly  propor 
tions,  that  he  also  may  cast  a  shadow  forward  upon 
the  future.  The  real  American  never  says,  "  My 
father  did  that :  "  he  puts  his  hands  on  some  fair 
achievement,  and  says,  "/  did  that  with  my  own 
brown  hands  and  my  own  tough  brain." 

Now,  leaving  these  few  privileged  ones  who  sit 
on  the  upper  seat,  I  asked  myself,  Who  are  the 
planters  of  this  State,  who  have  thundered  forth 
during  the  last  fifty  years  their  claim  to  be  con 
sidered  the  true  "  American  gentlemen  "  ?  What 
right  have  they  to  raise  this  eternal  din  of  boast 
ing  which  assails  our  Northern  ears  ?  What  is 
there,  in  their  ancestry  or  in  themselves,  that  they 
should  climb  to  the  top  of  a  pedestal  of  their  own 
making,  and  clamor  so  boisterously  of  their  better 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         39 

blood  and  breeding,  that  the  masses  of  the  North 
half  admit  their  loud-mouthed  claims,  and  the  peo 
ple  of  Europe  believe,  that,  for  refinement  and  all 
gentlemanly  parts,  they  must  look  below  the  manu 
facturing  States  ? 

First,  then,  in  the  catalogue,  come  the  Creole 
families.  These  are  a  class  of  people  generally 
descended  from  the  old  French  settlers ;  and,  as 
they  seldom  speak  English,  they  live  in  a  circle 
by  themselves.  Some  are  wealthy,  and  very  many 
are  poor.  The  former  are  frequently  very  wealthy, 
and  the  latter  miserably  poor.  They  form  a  very 
exclusive  clique,  whose  members  intermarry,  and 
thus  keep  in  a  certain  round  of  families  what 
ever  property  may  be  accumulated.  I  am  not 
wrong  in  saying,  that  this  Creole  population  is 
not  generally  regarded  as  forming  any  thing  more 
than  a  part  of  the  respectability  of  the  body  social. 
They  are  characterized  by  more  than  the  usual 
cruelty  to  their  servants  ;  and  are  not  noted  for 
either  polish  of  manner,  or  refinement.  On  looking 
over  the  slender  library  of  one  of  these  families,  I 
found  a  splendidly  bound  and  entire  edition  of 
Paul  de  Kock's  novels.  The  rest  of  the  library 
consisted  of  works  of  a  light  character,  and  seemed 
to  be  a  fair  criticism  of  the  class  of  people  under 
review.  They  exhibit  very  little  taste,  either  in 
the  outside  decorations  of  their  houses  or  in  the 


40         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

internal  arrangements.  They  have  lost  that  pecu 
liar  delicacy  which  is  the  charm  of  the  real  French 
character,  which  decorates  a  room  in  such  a  way, 
that,  the  moment  you  enter,  you  are  impressed 
with  the  feeling,  that  a  cultivated  person  has  been 
there  before  you ;  and,  in  becoming  Anglicized,  are 
satisfied  with  a  bare  wall,  a  plain  bedstead  and 
bureau,  and  a  general  confusion  and  chaos,  which 
at  once  dispels  all  reverence  for  the  present  gene 
ration  of  the  followers  of  Bienville  and  Iberville. 

Once  in  a  while,  you  find  one  who  traces  his 
pedigree  back  to  these  daring  adventurers,  and 
then  you  discover  some  attempt  at  refinement ;  but 
most  of  the  Creoles  are  simply  descendants  of  the 
rank  and  file  of  these  leaders,  who  have  crept  up 
to  competency,  and  who  show  the  nature  of  their 
past  by  the  coarseness  of  their  present. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  I  saw  these  families  under 
the  most  unfavorable  circumstances.  They  were 
generally  registered  enemies,  who,  by  their  manner, 
showed  plainly  enough  that  they  were  aware  of 
their  living  simply  by  the  suffrage  of  the  United- 
States  Government.  The  men  were  sullen  and 
ugly.  The  women  (even  those  who  claimed  to  have 
princely  blood  in  their  veins)  sometimes  forgot 
their  sex,  and  descended  from  the  lofty  position 
of  the  lady  to  the  common  earth  of  the  fish-woman. 
They  were  vindictive,  never  losing  an  opportunity 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         41 

to  insult  us ;  and  one,  whom  we  had  occasion  to 
meet  on  the  Teche,  went  so  far  as  to  malign  us  in 
a  note  which  she  requested  me  to  carry  to  the  city. 
The  note  was,  of  course,  open  when  given  to  me ; 
but  the  lady  wrote  in  French,  presuming  that  a 
poor  mudsill  could  be  easily  duped.  I  placed  it  in 
my  pocket,  never  dreaming  that  one  of  the  real 
chivalry  could  do  an  uncourteous  action.  Before  I 
got  back  to  the  city,  however,  I  thought  it  well  to 
know  what  I  was  doing  in  thus  carrying  a  letter 
from  one  living  in  a  hostile  land.  I  discovered 
that  my  lady  hostess  had  indulged  in  a  nice  little 
French  tirade  against  our  forces,  and  prayed  that 
God  would  send  us  defeat ;  and  the  rebels,  victory. 
I  was  indignant  that  I  had  neglected  to  read  the 
note  in  the  woman's  presence  ;  for  I  could  then 
have  resented  the  insult.  It  was  only 'left  to  me, 
however,  to  pocket  my  chagrin,  and  to  commit  the 
offending  epistle,  with  all  its  beautifully  written 
anathemas  against  the  good  old  flag,  to  the  un 
healthy  waters  of  the  nearest  bayou. 

The  next  class  forms  the  bulk  of  Louisiana 
planters.  It  is  largely  composed  of  men,  who, 
twenty  years  ago,  left  the  North,  and  settled  in  the 
South,  for  the  simple  and  very  laudable  purpose  of 
making  money.  They  came  here  poor ;  bought  and 
cleared  a  few  acres  of  land ;  after  years  of  toil, 
and  the  constant  energy  and  shrewdness  which 


42          PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

mark  the  Northerner,  absorbed  into  their  original 
few  acres  the  little  plots  of  the  neighboring  small 
planters ;  and  now  sit  down  in  the  midst  of  their 
thousand  acres,  —  half  or  two-thirds  of  which  are 
tilled  by  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  negroes,  —  and 
talk  about  good  society.  That  they  have  been  suc 
cessful,  is  a  compliment  to  us.  We  as  well  as  they 
feel  a  sort  of  pride  in  the  wealth  of  one  who  has  gone 
from  us  with  a  Northern  education,  and  built  up  a 
fortune  by  his  own  native  vigor  of  character.  It 
is  well  enough  that  Mr.  Brown,  twenty  years  ago, 
took  to  New  Orleans  a  stallion,  which  he  traded 
for  a  good  round  sum,  and  that  he  crept  up  from 
his  position  as  a  jockey  to  that  of  a  wealthy  planter. 
But  when  Mr.  Brown,  with  a  remarkable  self-com 
placency,  keeps  half  a  dozen  "  niggers "  running 
about  the  house  to  bring  him  matches,  tobacco, 
pipe,  and  tells  you  with  hauteur  of  the  innate 
superiority  of  the  Southern  character,  and  puffs 
his  tobacco-smoke  to  the  ceiling  as  he  dilates  on 
the  pettiness  of  the  Northern  nature,  it  certainly 
makes  you  feel  that  a  groom  is  a  good  fellow  in 
his  place,  and  that  many  a  man,  who  can  rub  a 
horse  down  till  he  looks  smooth  and  sleek,  finds 
himself  greatly  embarrassed  when  he  conies  to 
play  the  gentleman. 

Now,  the  majority  of  planters  in  the  State  are 
Eastern  or  Western    men,  emigrants.      They  arc 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         43 

sharp,  brilliant  in  business,  and  compare  favorably 
with  the  same  class  of  people  in  New  York  or 
Massachusetts.  But  that  they  should  lay  claim  to 
any  thing  more  than  respectability,  is  simply  ludi 
crous.  The  fact  is,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  an 
aristocracy  in  Louisiana,  except  such  as  exists  in 
every  community,  and  is  based  on  money.  As  in 
every  other  State  in  the  Union,  there  is,  as  I  have 
mentioned,  a  small  clique  who  look  upon  their 
ancestry  with  pride  ;  and  a  literary  clique,  com 
posed  of  men  who  belong  to  the  learned  professions, 
—  men  who  have  made  their  mark  as  authors  or 
statesmen  ;  and  a  larger  clique,  composed  of  the 
land-owners,  who  have  a  firm  footing  on  a  large 
pile  of  money.  If  I  have  rightly  classified  the 
people  of  the  State,  and  ex  uno  disce  omnes,  I  am 
sure  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  no  ground  for  this 
grand  din  about  the  Southern  gentleman.  No 
falsehood  is  more  palpable  than  this,  which  has 
been  iterated  and  reiterated  in  the  Southern 
church,  in  Southern  literature,  in  every  political 
speech,  until  at  last,  when  the  war  broke  out,  it 
showed  itself  in  the  opprobrious  epithets  which 
were  cast  upon  the  Northern  character.  It  has 
been  a  habit,  for  years,  for  them  to  give,  and  for  us 
to  receive,  such  insults :  and  yet,  if  you  would  find 
a  man,  who,  for  the  sake  of  the  money  he  can  make, 
will  resort  to  the  very  meanest  of  measures  ;  wilr* 


44         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

buy  poor  bacon  to  feed  his  two  hundred  hands  ; 
withal,  will  keep  them  on  short  allowance,  while  he 
gives  extra  pay  to  an  overseer  to  see  that  their 
backs  are  well  scored  if  they  do  not  work,  —  you 
need  not  go  to  the  money-loving  North.  The  men  of 
New  Orleans  will  gash  their  consciences  as  deeply 
as  will  the  men  of  New  York.  Up  the  river,  down 
the  river,  and  far  in  the  inland  parishes,  you  will 
find  "honorable  men,"  men  of  good  family,  who 
would  resent  an  insult  to  their  personal  honor  with 
sword  or  pistol,  who  yet  are  knowingly,  wilfully, 
and  inhumanly  cruel  to  their  hands,  in  order  to  get 
a  large  crop.  They  cheat  the  negroes  out  of  their 
food  and  out  of  their  clothing.  They  use  the  whip 
with  infernal  license,  and  all  for  dollars  and  cents  ; 
and,  at  the  same  time,  sneer  at  your  prudence  and 
mine,  as  evidence  of  stingy  souls. 

These  very  men,  when  you  call  on  them  as  a 
friend,  will  bring  from  the  cupboard  their  rich 
wines,  and  charm  you  by  their  conversation  as 
they  tell  you  that  their  slaves  do  just  as  they  have 
a  mind  to,  and  that  they  are  losing  money  on  them 
every  year,  but  keep  them  because  they  love 
them  next  to  their  own  children.  They  are  lying 
to  you  all  this  while.  They  are  lying  systema 
tically  ;  and,  if  you  will  take  the  pains  to  go  into 
the  slaves'  cabins  at  night,  you  will  find  out  how 
much  these  men  love  their  slaves,  and  how  much 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         45 

the  slaves  love  their  owners.  I  have  heard  all  this 
rhetoric  of  the  planter ;  and,  at  first,  I  believed  it. 
I  began  to  think  slavery  was  really  a  patriarchal 
institution  ;  that  the  owner  was  a  kind  of  father  to 
all  his  people,  —  feeding  them  and  clothing  them, 
and  caring  for  them  tenderly  when  they  were  ill. 
But  one  day,  after  I  had  listened  to  a  long  chapter 
of  this  kind,  I  was-  driving  out  of  the  gate,  when  I 
was  stopped  by  a  mulatto  girl,  who  held  something 
in  her  hand  which  she  evidently  wanted  me  to  exa 
mine.  I  reined  up  the  horse ;  when  she  put  into 
my  hand  a  thick  iron  ring,  which  she  had  been 
compelled  to  wear  about  her  ankle  until  it  had 
made  a  festering  sore.  Three  others,  who  knew 
our  mission,  came  up ;  and  one  showed  my  friend 
Wheelock  his  bare  back,  which  was  cut  and  gashed 
by  the  lash  that  had  been  applied  only  two  days 
before ;  and  I  said,  "  A  Southern  gentleman,  a  man 
who  despises  money,  will,  after  all,  lie  ! " 

I  afterwards  found  this  to  be  universally  true. 
You  may  talk  with  a  planter  upon  almost  any  sub 
ject,  and  you  will  find  him  affable  and  gentlemanly. 
He  will  scorn  to  misrepresent  an  event,  and  will 
speak  with  commendable  charity  of  his  neighbors. 
The  moment,  however,  the  conversation  edges 
towards  slavery,  his  demeanor  changes.  He  either 
grows  reticent,  and  refuses  to  say  a  word ;  or  else 
becomes  angry  >  and  openly  insults  you  on  the  spot. 


46         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  calm  discussion  of  the 
subject  with  him  :  he  seems  to  think  that  any  as 
sertion,  true  or  false;  is  fair.  If  he  can  adduce 
facts,  he  will  pile  them  up  ;  until,  at  last,  you  begin 
to  think  the  best  thing  the  Almighty  can  do  is  to 
get  up  an  extra  generation  of  negroes  for  the  use 
of  the  Southern  sugar-planter.  If  the  facts  are  not 
readily  handled,  he  hammers  away  at  the  Old  Tes 
tament  ;  quoting  verse  after  verse,  trying  to  prove 
that  that  venerable  book  has  no  higher  mission 
than  to  afford  favorite  texts  for  the  slaveholder. 
If  you  suggest  that  the  thraldom  of  a  race  impedes 
civilization,  and  is  an  inhumanity  done  to  the  en 
slaved,  he  harangues  you  on  the  value  of  the  insti 
tution  as  a  missionary  society.  It  has  elevated  a 
whole  people  from  the  depths  of  barbarity  to  — 

"  The  stocks,  the  lash,  and  the  adulterous  bed  of 
the  overseer,  as  the  numerous  mulattoes  on  every 
plantation  will  testify,"  I  could  not  help  saying  one 
day,  as  I  listened  to  one  of  these  special  pleaders. 

"  Not  a  slave  has  been  whipped  on  this  plantation 
for  over  two  years,"  he  replied  in  a  tone  of  offended 
dignity.  "  The  whip  was  abolished  long  ago.  My 
slaves  will  all  tell  you  they  are  happy  and  con 
tented.  I  have  told  them  over  and  over  again, 
that,  if  they  wish  to  leave  the  place,  they  can  do 
so  at  any  time.  I  beg  you  to  examine  this  matter, 
and  ascertain  the  truth  of  my  assertion." 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         47 

It  was  very  ludicrous ;  but  in  my  pocket  I  had  a 
little  memorandum,  which  ran  thus:  "Mr.Williams's 
plantation.  Number  of  hands  on  place  at  present 
time,  a  hundred  and  fifty ;  number  that  ran  away 
six  months  since,  a  hundred  and  forty-two.  Com 
plaints  registered,  that  boy  Tom  and  girl  Mary 
were  both  inhumanly  whipped  last  Thursday." 

I  do  not  mean  to  include  in  my  severe  criticism 
all  the  planters  of  the  department.  A  few  are 
really  kind  to  their  hands ;  and  upon  those  plan 
tations  there  has  been  no  trouble,  even  in  the 
midst  of  the  chaos  of  the  last  eighteen  months. 
Still  there  are  but  two  plantations,  south  of  New 
Orleans,  on  which  there  has  not  been  more  or  less 
confusion. 

I  can  say  with  all  sincerity  (and  I  have  visited 
most  of  the  plantations  in  the  department  of  the 
Gulf),  that,  as  a  general  thing,  the  planters  do  not 
live  in  as  well-made  or  comfortable  houses,  do 
not  arrange  their  grounds  with  as  much  taste,  and 
do  not  exhibit  as  much  intelligence,  as  that  large 
class  at  the  North  which  enjoys  what  is  called  a 
competency. 

I  do  not  believe,  that  in  point  of  culture,  or  in 
actual  enjoyment  of  life,  the  moderately  wealthy 
class  in  the  South  will  compare  with  the  same  class 
in  the  North.  The  only  subject  which  they  have 
made  an  especial  study  is  politics.  They  follow  the 


48          PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

course  of  their  representatives  in  Congress  far 
more  closely  than  we  do,  and  take  a  sort  of  family 
pride  in  saying  kind  things  of  them.  They  are  our 
superiors  in  a  certain  amount  of  ready  but  always 
one-sided  knowledge  of  national  affairs ;  but,  in 
other  paths  of  literature,  they  are  sadly  deficient. 

This  may  be  called  an  over-statement :  and  yet 
every  one  who  has  travelled  in  the  South  will  bear 
me  out  in  the  assertion,  that  planters'  houses,  with 
few  exceptions,  are  poorly  built,  and  without  re 
gard  to  taste  j  are  ill-looking  and  meagre  5  that, 
inside,  there  is  very  seldom  any  attempt  at  orna 
ment,  —  oftentimes  nothing  but  bare  walls  and  the 
plainest  furniture.  It  is  often  said,  that  this  is  very 
natural  among  a  people  who  live  almost  wholly  out 
of  doors.  I  answer,  So  does  the  family  that  has  a 
summer-house  in  Swampscott  or  on  Nantasket  live 
out  of  doors.  Still  you  will  find  such  a  summer 
residence  arranged  with  great  care  and  taste.  The 
furniture,  the  paintings,  the  library,  —  all  indicate 
taste  and  refinement  on  the  part  of  the  owner.  The 
Cuban  lives  out  of  doors,  and  his  walls  are  never 
decorated :  his  house  is  bare  throughout.  True ; 
and  few,  who  know  the  Cuban,  will  claim  for 
him  either  good  taste,  refinement,  or  education. 
No.  The  facts  of  which  I  speak  denote  a  decided 
weakness  in  the  Southern  planter's  character.  It 
is  the  natural  result  of  his  lonely,  insulated,  un- 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         49 

social  life.  There  is  nothing  in  his  surroundings 
to  make  him  feel  the  want  of  these  things.  His 
mind  and  tastes  and  heart  inevitably  fit  themselves 
to  his  hermitage.  It  is  one  of  the  misfortunes  of 
a  planter's  life. 

Among  other  interesting  subjects  upon  which  I 
desired  to  get  information  was  this  vexatious  ques 
tion  of  free  labor.  I  have  always  been  startled 
by  the  assertion  of  those  whose  long  experience 
entitled  their  opinion  to  respect,  that  forced  labor 
was  an  absolute  necessity  in  the  South.  To  be 
sure,  I  have  in  my  own  mind  believed  the  state 
ment  to  be  the  result  of  bigotry  or  interest;  and  so 
I  was  only  too  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  look 
ing  into  the  matter  for  myself. 

After  a  hard  day's  drive,  I  had  been  sitting,  in 
the  cool  of  the  evening,  in  the  gallery  of  a  planter's 
house,  chatting  upon  indifferent  topics.  At  last, 
hoping  to  elicit  some  spark  on  this  subject,  I 
said,  — 

"  What  think  you,  sir,  of  free  labor  ?  Do  you 
believe  the  negro  can  be  hired  to  work,  as  are  the 
laborers  of  the  North?" 

"  No,  sir,"  he  replied  :  "  free  labor,  as  it  is  called, 
will  inevitably  prove  a  failure  in  the  South.  The 
negroes  are  naturally  a  low,  lazy  set.  They  are  not 
influenced  by  any  desire  of  gain,  as  are  all  the 
members  of  the  white  race.  When  they  have 


50         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

earned  a  dollar,  they  will  do  nothing  until  it  is 
gone,  and  starvation  compels  them  to  work  again. 
I  have  lived  among  them  twenty  years,  and  I  know 
them  to  be  a  dependent  race." 

"  And  yet,  sir,  you  told  me,  not  long  since,  that 
your  carpenter  and  blacksmith  and  groom  and 
house-servant  were  all  bright  and  intelligent ;  and 
your  market-man  also,  who  sells  the  greater  part 
of  your  garden-produce.  Surely  these  men  are  not 
dependent:  they  can  earn  their  living  anywhere 
and  at  any  time.  Now,  why  would  it  not  be  pos 
sible  for  you  to  hire  these  men  as  we  do  our  labor 
ers  in  the  North;  and,  indeed,  to  hire  all  your  other 
hands  in  the  same  way  ?  " 

"  For  this  very  obvious  reason.  Sugar  is  a  crop 
not  native  to  the  soil  of  this  State :  it  is  what  we 
term  a  forced  crop.  In  Cuba,  for  instance,  the 
sugar-planter  takes  no  care  of  his  grounds  at  all. 
When  once  his  sugar-cane  is  planted,  the  rattoons 
will  last  from  ten  to  fifteen  years.  Not  so  here. 
We  are  compelled  to  nurse  our  cane,  to  plough,  to 
hoe,  and  to  exercise  constant  vigilance  ;  and  in  the 
fall,  when  the  crop  is  almost  ripe,  we  have  all 
the  way  from  twenty  to  a  hundred  thousand  dol 
lars  at  stake.  We  are  afraid  of  the  frosts.  One 
cold  night  costs  us  thousands  of  dollars.  We  are 
compelled  to  commence  grinding  our  cane  before  it 
is  wholly  ripe,  in  order  to  get  through  before  the 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         51 

frosts  take  us.  Now,  in  the  grind  ing-season,  we 
work  our  mills  night  and  day.  The  season  lasts 
generally  three  months.  We  must  have  absolute 
control  over  our  hands  during  that  time.  If  they 
refuse  to  work,  we  must  have  power  to  whip  them. 
It  is  necessary  to  be  able  to  reckon  with  perfect 
certainty  on  a  given  number  of  laborers ;  and  un 
less  we  have  this  forced  labor,  which  you  call  sla 
very,  we  shall  have  to,  give  up  the  sugar-crop,  and 
you  people  of  the  North  will  have  to  " 

"  Give  two  cents  a  pound  less  for  sugar  than  we 
do  now/'  I  could  not  help  rejoining. 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"  Why,  sir,  what  you,  of  course,  already  know. 
This  State  yields  us  about  one-quarter  of  the  sugar 
used  in  America.  In  order  to  protect  this  sugar 
interest,  a  tariff  is  required  of  all  sugars  imported 
from  Cuba ;  and  the  result  is,  that  the  poor  through 
out  the  whole  United  States  are  compelled  to  give 
from  one  to  two  cents  extra  for  every  pound  of 
sugar  consumed,  simply  because  you  are  deter 
mined  to  raise  what  your  soil  was  never  intended 
to  raise.  And,  besides  this  mere  monetary  imposi 
tion,  you  insist  that  the  institution  of  slavery,  or 
forced  labor,  shall  be  ceded,  in  order  that  you  may 
make  your  crops  profitable." 

He  at  once  met  me  by  throwing  square  in  my 
face  a  long  text  from  Moses ;  and  I  saw  that  the 


52  PLANTERS    AND    PLANTATIONS. 

conversation  was  at  an  end.  I  can  stand  bolt  up 
right,  and  take  a  man's  facts  ;  indeed,  they  are  what 
I  seek :  but  I  confess  to  perfect  powerlessness, 
when,  after  detailing  to  him  a  long  catalogue  of 
statistics  which  to  me  are  perfectly  conclusive,  he 
quietly  gets  up,  and,  bringing  out  the  old  family 
Bible,  turns  to  the  dog-eared  parts  of  the  Penta 
teuch  which  he  has  pondered  over  so  often,  and 
hurls  at  me  his  "  THUS  SAITH  THE  LORD."  There  is 
no  chance  for  argument  then.  You  may  be  well 
assured  that  your  antagonist  is  working  on  a  piece 
of  deep  strategy ;  and  it  is  best  for  you  to  start  at 
once  for  the  other  side  of  the  Rappahannock. 

Now,  I  am  not  at  all  inclined  to  deny  this  gentle 
man's  facts.  There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  the 
sugar-crop  of  the  South  is  a  forced  crop.  The  cane 
in  Cuba  grows  with  wonderful  vigor,  and  spreads 
over  the  surface  of  the  ground  until  it  has  become 
a  perfect  network.  In  the  South,  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  planted  in  rows  four  or  six  feet  apart ;  and  the 
rattoons  never  spread,  and  last  only  three  years  at 
most.  It  may  be  true,  too,  that  forced  labor  is  an 
absolute  necessity  to  secure  the  crop  in  the  autumn. 
It  certainly  is  not  to  be  doubted,  that  the  Southern 
crop  is  protected  by  a  tariff,  because  it  costs  the 
planters  two  cents  a  pound  more  to  raise  the  crop 
than  it  does  the  Cuban.  But,  in  view  of  these  facts, 
I  most  respectfully  submit,  that  it  would  be  good 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         53 

policy  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  to  buy  up 
the  landed  property  of  Louisiana,  and  sell  it  again 
to  the  ten  thousand  little  Creole-planters  who  have 
been  by  degrees  crowded  out  of  their  farms  by  the 
large  land-owners,  on  condition  that  not  a  stalk  of 
cane  shall  ever  be  allowed  to  come  out  of  the 
ground.  If  we  can't  have  sugar  without  the  stain 
of  slavery,  then  let  us  go  without  it.  The  poor 
man  of  Ohio  and  Kansas  ought  not  to  be  compelled 
to  pay  an  extra  price  for  one  of  the  most  necessary 
of  his  domestic  wants,  because  thirteen  hundred 
land-owners  persist  in  raising  a  given  crop  in  spite 
of  the  prohibition  of  Nature. 

The  next  evening,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  stopping 
with  a  frank,  open-hearted  gentleman,  who  gave 
me  the  other  side  of  the  free-labor  question.  He 
believed  in  slavery,  and  was  equally  pugnacious 
upon  the  subject  with  my  friend  of  the  night 
before ;  but  putting  the  black  man  out  of  sight 
entirely,  and  speaking  of  the  expense  of  conduct 
ing  a  plantation,  he  opened  up  one  or  two  facts 
which  I  regarded  as  important,  and  which  I  after 
ward  fully  corroborated.  He  owned  some  two 
hundred  and  fifty  people.  Of  these,  not  more  than 
sixty,  or  seventy-five  at  most,  could  be  reckoned 
as  good,  able-bodied  field-hands.  The  remaining 
two-thirds  were  old,  young,  decrepit,  or  in  the  hos 
pital.  There  were  between  thirty  and  forty  chil- 


54          PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

dren  on  the  place.  As  a  general  rule,  not  more 
than  one-third  of  the  people  on  the  older  plan 
tations  are  fit  for  service.  This  is  a  fair  average, 
as  I  proved  by  my  later  experience.  Now,  these 
people  are  all  to  be  supported.  They  all  draw 
their  rations  of  food  and  clothing ;  and  though  these 
are  both  poor  enough,  yet,  in  the  aggregate,  the 
expense  must  be  considerable.  So  I  said  to  my 
friend,  — 

"  Would  it  not  be  cheaper  for  you  to  hire  these 
sixty  or  seventy  hands,  who  carry  on  your  place, 
at  good  wages,  than  to  own  them,  with  all  the  risks 
of  disease  and  death,  and  be  compelled  to  support 
this  long  train  of  dependants  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly,"  he  replied  at  once.  "  If  it 
could  be  so  arranged,  I  would  willingly  give  every 
able-bodied  hand  on  the  place  a  dollar  a  day,  the 
year  through.  Slaves  are  costing  more  every  year. 
The  price  of  good,  able-bodied  hands  has  more 
than  doubled  in  the  last  twelve  years.  Free  labor 
can  no  doubt  be  made  a  success.  Still,  slavery  is 
one  of  the  rights  of  the  South ;  and  is,  of  a  truth, 
the  salvation  of  the  African  race." 

Here  followed  the  same  stale  arguments  which 
I  had  been  through  with  a  dozen  times.  At  last, 
however,  he  got  excited,  and  referred  to  the  West 
Indies  as  proof  that  the  only  proper  condition  of 
the  negro  is  one  of  dependence. 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         55 

"  Were  you  ever  in  Jamaica  ?  "  I  asked,  turning 
the  conversation  to  matters  of  travel. 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  spent  some  three  months  in  Ja 
maica." 

"  Who  were  the  custom-officers  there,  sir  ?  " 

"  Men  as  black  as  your  hat.  It  surprised  me 
when  one  came  upon  deck,  and,  in  a  very  gentle 
manly  way,  asked  to  see  our  trunks ;  and  when 
the  preliminaries  were  through,  and  the  captain 
asked  him  into  the  cabin,  he  gave  us  as  neat  a  little 
speech  as  I  ever  heard,  and,  in  all  respects,  bore 
himself  like  a  gentleman." 

"  And  yet  this  man,  also,  is  one  of  the  depend 
ants.  You  were  not  ashamed  to  be  seen  drinking 
with  him,  and  you  listened  to  his  speech  with  plea 
sure  ?  " 

He  afterward  spoke  of  going  into  society,  and 
meeting  the  blacks  familiarly,  —  lawyers,  judges, 
military  officers,  and  scholars ;  and  did  not  express 
any  repugnance  at  such  intimacy. 

Nothing  surprised  me  more  than  this  tame,  trite 
assertion  concerning  the  natural  dependence  of 
the  negro,  and  his  unfitness  to  get  his  own  living. 
Not  only  does  every  plantation  in  the  State  con 
tradict  the  statement,  but  also  a  large  class  of  free 
persons  of  color  in  every  city,  who  not  only  sup 
port  their  families,  but  by  their  shrewdness  have 
succeeded  in  laying  up  quite  a  little  fortune  against 


56          PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

a  time  of  want.  When  I  went  through  the  Teche 
country,  I  visited  very  many  farms,  from  those  of 
a  few  acres  to  those  which  spread  over  an  area  as 
large  as  most  plantations,  which  were  owned  and 
carried  on  by  free  persons  of  color.  These  people 
exist  in  sufficient  numbers  to  form  a  class,  and, 
though  tabooed  from  all  good  white  society,  live 
quite  happily,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  fortunes 
ranging  all  the  way  from  thousands  to  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars.  They  are  known  as  a  quiet, 
thrifty  community.  They  have  no  rights,  of  course, 
under  the  State  laws  ;  but  their  well-conducted 
plantations  amply  prove,  that  the  ability  to  take 
care  of  one's  self  exists  independently  of  any  color 
of  the  skin.  With  such  examples  as  these  scat 
tered  through  the  country,  a  shrewd,  wealthy 
black,  alternating  with  a  white  man,  whose  vacant 
stare  and  squalid  poverty  stamp  him  at  once  as  a 
member  in  good  standing  of  that  large  community 
composed  of  poor  trash,  it  is  worse  than  puerile 
for  a  planter  to  assert  concerning  the  one  race, 
that  it  is  by  nature  dominant ;  and  of  the  other, 
that  it  was  intended  by  the  Almighty  to  do  the 
white  man's  bidding.  The  free  negro  who  makes 
his  hundred  or  two  hundred  bales  of  cotton  every 
year,  is,  by  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  a  part  of 
our  civilization,  entitled  to  all  the  rights  and  privi 
leges  of  citizenship  j  and  the  State  that,  by  law  or 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         57 

public  opinion,  deprives  him  of  one  iota  of  such 
rights,  is  recreant  to  its  trust,  and  unworthy  a 
place  in  to-day's  history.  He  is  one  of  the  real 
aristocrats ;  and  all  your  laws,  and  all  your  scoffs 
and  taunts  and  miscalled  facts,  will  fail  to  reduce 
him  to  the  ranks.  And  the  poor  devil  of  a  white 
man,  who  sits  in  the  doorway  sucking  his  dirty 
fingers,  with  no  ambition,  a  mere  lump  of  animated 
putty,  with  a  brain  as  solid  and  useless  as  so  much 
wet  clay,  is  a  base  plebeian ;  one  intended  to  serve  ; 
a  man  who  cannot  take  care  of  himself :  and  you 
may  legislate  until  doomsday ;  you  may  decree 
him  a  member  of  the  dominant  race  as  much  as 
you  please,  —  it  is  of  no  use.  There  is  no  fire  in 
him,  no  life,  no  soul.  He  crawls :  he  does  not 
stand  erect.  So  this  question  of  dominance  is  not 
one  of  race,  but  of  individuals.  There  are  some 
born  to  rule,  but  they  are  not  all  white.  There 
are  many  born  to  serve  ;  but  they  are  not  all  black. 
To  serve  or  rule  is  a  right  which  is  not  written  in 
the  skin,  but  in  the  head. 

These  two  evenings  threw  a  vast  deal  of  light  on 
this  subject  of  free  labor.  That  it  may  be  made  a 
success,  there  is  no  longer  any  doubt.  Indeed,  it 
has  been  proved,  that  a  profitable  crop  of  sugar 
can  be  raised  by  white  labor,  although  far  more 
expensive  than  black  labor.  But  the  plan  is  an 
innovation,  and  will  meet  with  great  opposition 


58         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

from  many  of  the  planters,  —  men  who  do  not  be 
long  to  the  South,  but  who  came  here  for  the 
simple  purpose  of  speculation. 

There  is  one  class  of  men  only  who  readily  con 
cede  that  it  may  be  made  a  success.  It  consists 
of  those  who  have  lived  here  forty  and  fifty  years ; 
who  have  a  large  number  of  unproductive  hands, 
old  and  young,  —  people  who  have  growrn  up  on  the 
plantation,  and  who  are  part  and  parcel  of  it. 
The  owners  do  not  like  to  sell  them :  indeed,  they 
are  not  worth  any  thing.  Still,  they  amount  to  a 
great  deal,  when  the  expenses  of  the  place  are 
reckoned.  There  is  another  class,  generally  con 
sisting  of  Northern  men,  who  came  here  twenty 
years  ago,  determined  on  making  money.  These 
do  not  have  the  usual  surplus  of  children  and  old 
people.  Their  hands  are  all  able  to  work,  and  are 
mostly  men.  They,  at  first,  buy  the  requisite 
number  of  "  head  "  to  carry  on  their  place,  assur 
ing  themselves  that  they  are  sound  in  wind  and 
limb ;  and  then,  with  an  acuteness  which  is  worthy 
of  a  better  cause,  they  watch  them  day  by  day. 
When  one  falls  sick,  he  is  sold,  and  a  stout  hand 
substituted.  Any  exhibition  of  weakness  is  suffi 
cient  to  bring  one  to  the  auction-block.  In  this 
way,  the  hands  are  always  able-bodied  ;  and  there 
is  no  drag  on  the  planter,  of  bills  for  the  hospital, 
and  other  little  inconveniences,  which  are  experi- 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         59 

enced  on  most  plantations.  This  man  is  furious 
when  you  talk  to  him  of  free  labor.  He  speaks  in 
unmeasured  terms  of  the  abolitionists,  and  believes 
that  the  President's  proclamation  has  actually 
ruined  the  country. 

Still,  there  is  no  need  of  trembling  in  the  pre 
sence  of  these  men :  there  is  more  thunder  than 
lightning  in  them.  Since  their  souls  are  so  ab 
sorbed  in  dollars  and  cents,  it  only  becomes  neces 
sary  to  inaugurate  the  system  of  free  labor ;  and 
at  the  end  of  the  first  season,  when  the  ledger, 
which  is  their  only  Bible,  gives  its  verdict  in  favor 
of  right  and  humanity,  true  to  their  instincts,  these 
financial  weather-cocks  will  turn  to  free  labor,  and 
support  it  so  zealously,  that  you  will  almost  be  per 
suaded  they  are  Christians.  It  is  of  no  use  to 
argue  with  such  men.  They  are  more  than  ada 
mant  to  all  your  logic.  But  show  them,  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  the  five-dollar  bill  on  the  right  side  of 
the  account,  and  they  jump  at  it  as  quickly  as  the 
early  spring  trout  at  the  fly. 

All  the  sacred  texts  of  the  Pentateuch  will  then 
be  forsaken.  No  more  dog-ears,  no  more  fum 
bling  for  new  proofs.  The  converted  men  will  sit 
quietly  in  their  pews  when  the  minister  speaks  of 
the  equality  of  all  men  in  the  sight  of  God ;  not  a 
scowl  in  their  faces,  not  a  hair  on  their  heads 
ruffled.  It  is,  after  all,  the  five-dollar  bill  that 


60         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

supports  the  institution,  and  gives  its  authenticity 
to  the  Old  Testament.  Slip  the  bill  away,  and 
put  it  under  the  corner  of  the  Temple  of  Freedom, 
and  how  quickly  all  her  aisles  will  be  filled  with 
devotees  !  The  millennium  will  commence  at  once. 
Who  can  measure  the  length,  breadth,  or  power  of 
a  poor  five-dollar  bill  ? 

I  hope  my  friends  will  not  judge,  from  this  long 
array  of  sharp  criticism,  that  I  am  naturally  of 
an  ill  temper ;  that  my  liver  was  affected  by  the 
miasm  of  the  swamps  ;  or  that,  in  the  hopeless 
endeavor  to  brush  away  the  clouds  of  mosquitoes, 
who  did  very  little  cooing,  but  an  immense  amount 
of  billing,  I  saw  things  through  the  anathemas 
and  immense  expletives  which  I  showered  upon 
those  musical  insects.  I  am  naturally  of  a  very 
mild  temper,  and  do  not  fail  to  remember  many 
albce  dies  spent  among  friendly  planters  and  on 
pleasant  excursions.  When  I  generalize,  it  is  my 
business  to  forget  every  thing,  —  the  kind  atten 
tions  gracefully  offered  to  a  weary  traveller,  the  fair 
hand  proffering  the  refreshing  wine,  the  soft  bed 
after  the  hard  day's  work,  and  the  broiled  chicken 
of  the  next  morning,  —  and  see  only  a  system,  an 
institution,  in  its  many  bearings  on  society ;  a 
principle  of  political  economy  in  all  its  practical 
workings. 

I  have  read  a  great  many  books  of  travel  in  the 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         61 

South  ;  and,  I  think,  have  generally  discovered  how 
they  were  written,  and  at  what  time  of  the  day. 
Here  is  one,  for  instance,  a  queer  little  thing,  with 
scarce  a  word  of  truth  between  the  covers,  praising 
all  Southern  society,  and  even  daring  to  laud  sla 
very.  Now,  though  the  thing  is  a  literary  curi 
osity,  from  the  fact  that  it  is  false  from  beginning 
to  end,  you  and  I,  who  have  been  through  the 
mill,  can  guess  very  well  when  all  that  honest  rhe 
toric  was  written.  I  will  tell  you  my  guess ;  but 
you  must  not  let  it  go  farther.  It  is  one  of  those 
things  the  public  must  not  know.  It  ivasjust  after 
dinner :  it  is  a  post-prandial  production ;  a  quiet 
little  clerical  joke,  which  the  public  does  not  un 
derstand. 

Listen  to  my  conjecture  in  detail.  The  future 
author  was  met  at  the  station  by  a  fine,  talkative 
old  gentleman,  who  at  once  made  him  feel,  after 
his  hard  day's  ride,  that  he  had  at  last  reached  a 
haven  of  rest,  where  he  might  consider  himself 
an  honored  guest.  The  racket  of  the  cars  was 
changed  for  the  soft  cushions  of  a  carriage.  His 
tired  nerves  were  deliciously  titillated  by  the 
pleasant  garrulity  of  the  old  gentleman,  who  min 
gled  fact,  fiction,  and  witticism  in  his  conversation. 
The  house  was  reached.  It  was  pleasantly  sur- 
roun^ed  by  exquisitely  fragrant  orange-trees,  whose 
fresh  blo'ssoms  filled  the  air  with  perfume  ;  and, 


62         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

after  a  quiet  cup  of  tea,  the  considerate  host  showed 
his  weary  guest  to  the  chamber.  Here,  too,  were 
flowers. 

How  full  of  good  feeling  and  of  refinement  these 
Southern  people  are!  What  distinguished  man 
ners  !  —  the  lofty  bearing  of  a  prince,  and  yet  the 
utmost  suavity  and  geniality.  What  a  difference 
between  brick  walls,  hot  and  musty,  and  this  am 
brosial  air,  laden  with  the  fragrance  of  wild  roses 
and  geraniums ! 

Just  then,  when  the  poor  guest  was  half  dis 
robed,  a  timid  knock  was  heard. 

"  Come  in  !  " 

The  door  opened,  and  a  curly-headed,  pretty 
little  boy  entered,  —  he  is  one  of  the  flowers  of 
rhetoric  belonging  to  the  system,  —  bearing  a 
little  waiter,  with  a  pitcher  of  iced  lemonade,  with 
just  enough  claret  in  it  to  make  it  nectar. 

"  Massa  sends  dis,  sir,"  said  the  bashful  little 
fellow. 

How  kind,  how  considerate !  How  remarkable 
these  Southern  people  are  for  the  delicacy  of  their 
attentions  !  When  the  boy  left  the  room,  a  thought 
entered  the  guest's  head.  He  went  to  the  South 
not  merely  for  his  health,  but  to  see  the  institu 
tion  ;  and  here  was  a  piece  of  it  trotting  about  the 
house,  and  bringing  him  ice-water.  This  chance 
was  not  to  be  lost.  Opening  the  door,  he  cried,  — 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         63 

"  Come  back,  my  child  :  I  want  to  speak  to 
you." 

The  little  fellow,  who  had  never  been  addressed 
in  that  way  before,  hesitated  a  moment,  wondering 
if  he  was  the  one  meant ;  and  then  entered  the 
room  again. 

"  My  little  boy,"  said  the  guest,  beginning  his 
experience,  and  gently  pinching  the  little  slave's 
fat  cheeks,  "  are  you  happy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  massa,"  the  child  said,  of  course.  There 
was  nothing  else  to  say. 

"  Does  your  master  treat  you  well  ?  and  do  you 
have  good  things  to  eat,  and  a  nice  bed  to  lie 
on?" 

"  Yes,  massa." 

Then  the  boy  was  dismissed,  and  the  first  im 
pression  of  slavery  was  received.  If  I  had  only 
been  at  his  elbow,  I  would  have  asked  another 
question :  — 

"  Boy,  where's  your  father?" 

"  Don'o,  sir,"  he  would  have  answered. 

"  Don't  know,  eh  ?  Haven't  you  ever  seen  him, 
or  ever  heard  your  mother  talk  about  him  ?  " 

"  No,  massa,"  he  would  have  replied  wonderingly. 
Now,  look  at  his  skin :  it  is  a  very  delicate  olive. 
That  boy  never  had  any  father  ! 

You  see  I  have  got  my  first  impression  of  the 
institution.  I  got  no  iced  lemonade,  with  claret  in 


64         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

it ;  but  I  tliink  I  got  hold  of  a  very  ugly  fact 
instead. 

The  next  day,  just  before  dinner,  the  saddle- 
horses  were  at  the  door ;  and  the  guest  trembled  a 
little,  no  doubt,  for  he  is  not  accustomed  to  the 
exercise :  but  there  is  no  fear ;  for  the  beast  is  a 
blood-horse,  and  as  gentle  as  a  kitten.  The  rider 
has  nothing  to  do  but  to  keep  still,  and  the  well- 
trained  animal  lopes  along  most  elegantly.  Let  us 
keep  up  with  the  old  gentleman  and  the  future 
author.  Here  are  the  fields :  they  stretch  along 
two  miles  on  the  road,  and  are  half  or  three-quar 
ters  of  a  mile  deep.  Behind  them  are  the  cypress- 
woods,  extending  indefinitely,  sometimes  six  miles 
back  to  the  lake.  The  affable  old  gentleman  is  an 
immense  landed  proprietor,  fit  to  be  a  lord,  and 
entirely  unlike  the  small  farmers  of  the  North.  At 
length,  they  reach  the  field  where  the  hands  are  at 
work,  —  fifty,  seventy-five,  a  hundred  of  them,  — 
the  men  with  nothing  but  pantaloons  on,  their 
backs  shining  in  the  sun ;  the  women  a  la  Bloomer, 
their  skirts  tucked  above  their  knees,  and  on  their 
heads  sometimes  a  piece  of  a  bonnet,  again  a 
straw-hat,  and  still  again  a  red  and  yellow  ban 
danna. 

"  There,"  says  the  host  jocularly,  "  is  the  insti 
tution.  Now,  sir,  those  boys  and  girls  were  all 
raised  on  this  estate.  I  took  care  of  most  of  them 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         65 

when  they  were  curly-headed  tots.  A  great  many 
of  them  can  read  and  write.  Some  have  money  in 
the  bank.  They  have  their  little  chapel,  where 
they  praise  God  every  sabbath.  Sir,  much  as  your 
Northern  people  say  against  us,  we  yet  hold  our 
slaves  in  deep  regard.  We  are  all  one  family. 
What  I  have,  they  have.  They  have  plenty  of 
food,  and  a  good  house.  They  are  the  most  jovial 
set  in  the  world ;  and  could  not,  I  verily  believe,  be 
hired  to  leave  the  estate.  This,  sir,  is  slavery: 
abolish  it,  and  you  throw  these,  my  family,  upon 
the  cold  charities  of  the  world.77 

Now,  that  is  certainly  a  very  pretty  thing  to  say. 
The  guest  believes  every  word  of  it.  Why  not  ? 
Will  an  affable  old  gentleman,  who  sends  up  to  his 
chamber  iced  lemonade  with  claret  in  it,  lie  ?  The 
thought  is  unworthy. 

Our  Northern  fanatics  have  vilified  the  institu 
tion.  These  people  are  in  far  better  condition 
than  the  poor  whites  of  New  England.  They  are 
always  properly  cared  for.  Has  not  the  host  said 
it  ?  Ah  me  !  if  only  the  wild  abolitionists  could  sit 
on  this  saddle,  and  view  this  truly  patriarchal 
scene,  they  would  at  once  vote  the  Democratic 
ticket. 

These  are  not  exactly  the  words  the  guest7s 
thoughts  would  assume,  if  he  chose  to  utter  them ; 
but  only  my  interpretation  of  what  was  going  on 
in  his  mind. 


66         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

By  the  way,  the  future  author  did  not  notice  the 
black  boy,  who  all  the  while  was  standing  close  by 
4  his  horse,  and  who  heard  every  word  of  the  above 
well-delivered  speech  5  and  consequently  he  lost 
the  queer  expression  of  the  fellow's  face  when 
ever  the  old  gentleman  became  pathetic. 

You've  seen  those  bank-bills,  which,  for  fear  of 
being  counterfeited,  are  printed  nearly  all  over 
with  one  dollar,  one  dollar,  one  dollar  ?  Well, 
the  boy's  face  was  covered  all  over  in  the  same 
way  with  characters  which  any  one  could  read; 
and  they  were  not  quite  complimentary  to  the  affa 
ble  old  gentleman :  so  I  shall  not  mention  them 
here.  Nor  did  the  author  notice  the  sharp  voice 
of  command  with  which  the  boy  was  ordered  to 
the  field  :  so  he  got  his  second  impression.  I  did 
notice  those  two  queer  little  incidents,  and  got  my 
second  impression ;  and,  if  I  should  compare  notes 
with  the  guest,  he  would  be  greatly  surprised  at 
the  discrepancy  in  our  opinions. 

He  forgot,  too,  to  go  to  the  cabins  after  dark, 
and  talk  with  the  people,  just  to  corroborate  what 
the  old  gentleman  said  about  his  love  for  hands  j 
and  so  didn't  get  any  third  impression  at  all.  I 
did  do  that  thing,  and  was  surprised  to  find  one  of 
"  the  family  "  just  from  the  whipping-house,  with 
his  back  all  cut  up, —  a  raw  mass  of  flesh,  made  by 
a  long  raw-hide  lash ;  and  there  I  found  my  third 
impression. 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         67 

After  a  while,  the  guest's  book  was  written. 
You  and  I  know  where  to  find  the  iced  lemonade 
in  page  one,  the  blood  saddle-horse  in  page  two, 
and  the  affable  and  garrulous  old  gentleman  in  all 
the  rest  of  the  book.  Still,  these  things  are  to  be 
kept  from  the  public,  who  are  to  be  left  to  wonder 
how  it  is  possible  for  Mr.  A.  to  go  South  in  May, 
and  Mr.  B.  to  go  South  in  June,  and,  going  over  the 
same  ground,  to  write  books,  —  the  one  saying  that 
slavery  is  from  heaven,  the  other  that  it  is  from 
hell.  You  and  I  know  that  it  is  simply  because 
they  don't  see  the  same  things.  The  one  man  sees 
the  planter,  and  the  other  man  sees  the  planta 
tion. 

If,  then,  my  book  is  full  of  sharp  criticism,  and 
if  I  say  more  unpleasant  things  than  pleasant  ones 
of  the  South,  I  pray  you  not  to  attribute  it  to  my 
temper  so  much  as  to  my  honesty.  Shall  I  say  kind 
things  of  an  institution  that  is  hateful,  because 
some  of  those  who  uphold  it  treat  me  with  gene 
rous  courtesy  ?  Because  my  host  comes  in  to  say 
"  Good-night ! "  and  wishes  me  pleasant  dreams,  shall 
I  borrow  his  spectacles,  and  swear  that  a  thing  is 
sound,  when  my  own  eyes  tell  me  it  is  rotten?  If 
my  host  demands  this,  he  is  my  enemy.  I  must 
look  into  every  corner,  and  tell  what  I  see.  I  beg 
you,  therefore,  to  believe,  that  it  was  not  the 
absence  of  iced  lemonade,  with  claret  in  it,  which 


68         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

is  the  motor  to  my  severe  language.  I  certainly 
met  with  some  pleasant  gentlemen,  and,  through 
their  courtesy,  enjoyed  many  a  day  of  rare  sport, 
and  visited  many  scenes  which  I  recall  with  pecu 
liar  pleasure.  Let  me  tell  you  of  some  of  these 
experiences. 

Being  very  much  worn  with  constant  travelling 
for  weeks,  Mr.  Lawrence,  of  the  Magnolia  Planta 
tion,  about  forty-five  miles  below  the  city,  asked 
Mr.  Wheelock  and  myself  to  spend  a  few  days  with 
him  j  and  we  at  once  cheerfully  accepted  his  kind 
invitation.  We  found  him  a  very  genial,  hospita 
ble  gentleman,  and  enjoyed  our  stay  exceedingly. 
We  rode  over  his  fine,  large  plantation ;  and  hap 
pening  to  hit  a  half-acre  of  luscious,  ripe  black 
berries  (it  was  in  May),  found  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  the  brambles  in  a  surprisingly  short  time ; 
leaving  the  place  with  great  hesitation,  and  then 
only  on  condition  that  we  should  make  daily  visits 
to  the  spot,  or  that  the  darkies  should  bring  the 
well-laden  baskets  to  us.  Day  after  day,  we  sat  in 
the  gallery,  enjoying  the  luxury  of  physical  repose, 
which  seemed  like  a  delightful,  prolonged  siesta. 
A  few  quaint,  old-fashioned  books  supplied  us  with 
reading ;  and  good-tempered  but  sometimes  warm 
discussions  upon  the  topics  of  the  day  came  in  to 
fill  up  the  little  interstices  of  time,  when  we  other 
wise  might  have  felt  the  symptoms  of  ennui. 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         69 

One  day,  our  host  told  us  that  a  few  miles  away 
were  three  of  those  mysterious  mounds  which  the 
Indians  left  as  a  memento  and  a  puzzle  to  the  white 
man,  and  that  we  could  go  a  part  of  the  way 
through  some  of  the  finest  scenery  in  the  State. 
It  was  at  once  determined  that  we  ought  to  make 
the  trip :  so  the  orders  were  given  to  have  a  skiff 
in  the  canal  early  in  the  morning,  with  Sam  and 
Jim  to  handle  the  white-oak.  A  bright,  beau 
tiful  morning  it  was.  Soon  after  breakfast,  the 
buggy  drove  to  the  door ;  and  we  rode  to  the  canal, 
at  the  wood-end  of  the  plantation,  where  we  found 
our  two  sable  friends  ready.  A  half-mile  through 
the  canal,  where  we  scared  up  an  alligator  ten  feet 
long,  who  made  the  water  foam  when  he  went 
down,  and  we  struck  into  the  beautiful  Cheniere,  a 
bayou  about  seventy-five  feet  wide,  and  one  of  that 
tangled  web  of  bayous  which  drain  the  lower  part 
of  the  State.  We  moved  smoothly  and  quietly 
along,  the  silence  broken  only  by  the  regular  dip 
of  the  oars ;  all  about  us,  on  either  side,  an  almost 
boundless  prairie,  level  as  a  floor,  and  covered  with 
tall,  rank  grass  five  or  six  feet  high.  I  could  not 
control  my  destructive  tendencies,  and  landed  twice 
to  set  it  on  fire ;  but  succeeded  only  in  making  a 
huge  smoke,  which  floated  upwards  in  heavy  black 
clouds,  adding  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the 
scene. 


70         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

We  went  on  in  this  way  for  a  little  while,  when 
the  Cheniere  flowed  through  some  woods  which 
gave  us  scenery  wholly  different.  Qn  the  banks, 
and  out  of  the  rich  marshy  land,  grew  those  won 
derful  live-oaks,  uncouth  but  grand,  which  one 
must  see  to  appreciate.  So  tough  is  the  fibre,  that 
branches  sometimes  grow  horizontally  to  incredible 
lengths.  I  remember  seeing  one  branch  thus 
growing,  which  I  measured,  and  found,  to  my  sur 
prise,  that  it  was  eighty  feet  long  ;  extending 
almost  at  right  angles  from  the  trunk.  These  long 
branches  stretch  out  over  the  water,  forming  the 
most  delightful  shade  ;  while  from  them  hangs,  in 
thick,  rich  folds,  six  feet  long  or  more,  this  aerial 
moss,  which  makes  every  forest  of  the  South  so 
picturesque.  It  gives  the  tree  the  air  of  antiquity  ; 
and  the  knotty,  rough,  irregular  character  of  the 
live-oak  strengthens  the  impression.  I  thought,  at 
the  time,  that  it  was  the  most  romantic,  unreal, 
weird,  and  yet  fascinating  picture-  I  had  ever 
looked  on.  But  the  illusion  that  it  was  the  home 
of  the  fairies  was  soon  dispelled  by  the  numerous 
alligators,  which  were  lazily  lying  on  logs,  or,  ogre- 
like,  floating  leisurely  along,  only  their  thin,  long 
heads  visible.  They  disappeared  only  when  our 
boat  showed  a  desire  on  our  part  to  cultivate  too 
close  an  intimacy. 

At  last,  we  reached  the  place  where  we  were  to 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.   .       71 

land,  and  take  guides  through  the  woods  to  the 
hieroglyphics  of  ancient  history.  Two  little  huts 
showed  themselves  just  on  the  edge  of  the  woods ; 
and  farther  on,  in  a  cleared  space,  another,  in 
which  lived,  not  the  lowest  of  the  "  poor  white 
trash,"  but  people  deplorably  dirty  and  incredi 
bly  ignorant.  The  master  of  the  first  hut,  who 
was  to  be  our  guide,  had  reclaimed  from  the 
swamp  and  forest  a  few  acres  of  land,  and  had,  at 
his  leisure  and  at  sundry  times,  planted  a  few 
orange-trees  thereon,  from  which  he  hoped,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years,  to  enjoy  a  snug  little  in 
come.  How  he  managed  to  support  himself  in  the 
interim,  I  could  not  discover.  There  was  no  evi 
dence  of  farming  utensils  having  been  used ;  for 
thick  clusters  of  weeds,  of  most  luxuriant  growth, 
tangled  our  feet  at  every  step.  A  little  patch  of 
half  an  acre  was  planted  with  sweet  potatoes. 
That  was  the  entire  farm.  The  Creole  fished  and 
hunted,  and  in  that  way  supplied  his  table.  When 
he  was  successful,  his  dinner  consisted  of  sweet 
potatoes,  plus  a  catfish  or  a  piece  of  venison ;  and, 
when  he  came  home  empty-handed,  it  consisted 
simply  of  the  aforementioned  esculent.  His  neigh 
bors  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  log-hut,  the  wide 
cracks  in  which  were  not  even  plastered  with  mud. 
Three  men  and  a  woman  lived  in  it.  I  saw  one 
rude  mattress,  and  was  convinced  that  these  simple 


72         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

people  lived  in  a  perfectly  natural  way ;  and  were, 
perhaps,  being  far  from  the  contaminations  of  the 
city,  delighting  in  a  little  golden  age  of  their 
own. 

However,  be  this  as  it  may,  we  started  for  the 
mounds.  It  was  a  rude  path  we  travelled,  through 
acres  of  straight,  slender  cane-stalks,  which  would 
have  excited  me  beyond  measure  in  my  Izaak  Wal 
ton  days ;  over  fallen  timber,  and  narrow  bridges 
made  of  uncertain  limbs  ;  spanning  black,  slimy- 
looking,  stagnant  water ;  through  clouds  of  every 
kind  of  pestiferous  insect  known  to  the  naturalist. 
Such  heat  never  was  felt  before.  We  reached  the 
mounds  in  a  very  melting  mood  j  and,  clambering 
forty  feet  to  the  top  of  one,  were  compelled  to 
build  a  smudge,  and  put  our  heads  in  the  hot,  wavy 
smoke,  in  order  to  be  comfortable.  What  expe 
dients  will  not  a  man  resort  to  in  pursuit  of  coin- 
fort ! 

We  were,  however,  well  repaid  for  our  journey ; 
for  these  great  heaps  of  earth,  burial-places,  land 
marks  of  history,  or  whatever  they  may  be,  —  dumb 
mementos  of  the  past,  —  were  very  interesting. 
They  were  like  those  cairns  found  in  the  West,  in 
Labrador,  and  all  along  the  Gulf-coast.  Some  have 
been  opened ;  but  nothing  satisfactory  has  been 
discovered.  A  few  huge  boxes,  some  pieces  of 
pottery,  and  a  few  rude  agricultural  or  domestic 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         73 

utensils,  are  all  that  have  ever  been  dug  up. 
Whether  they  were  made  by  the  Indians,  whom  we 
have  driven  away ;  or  whether  they  are  as  old  as 
the  Pyramids,  relics  of  a  race  living  here  when  the 
earth  was  young,  in  some  dim,  ante-historic  period, 
—  has  not  yet  been  decided. 

We  walked  back  to  the  guide's  house ;  and  while 
sitting  on  the  steps,  in  the  shade,  found  that  he  had 
been  one  of  the  brave  defenders  of  Fort  Jackson. 

"  Why  did  you  go  to  the  war  ?  " 

"  Couldn't  help  it." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  New-Orleans  people  came  down,  and  took  all 
the  men  off  every  little  place." 

"  What  were  you  fighting  for  ?    Do  you  know  ?  " 

"•Yes,  sir  (very  emphatically).  'Cause  the  rich 
planters  got  into  a  row  about  their  damned  nig 
gers  ;  that's  all.  They  staid  at  home,  got  up  a 
big  excitement,  and  made  all  the  poor  men  stop 
the  bullets." 

We  rowed  back  again,  more  charmed  than  ever 
with  the  beautiful  Cheniere,  where  the  vessels  of 
La  Fitte  used  to  anchor,  snugly  ensconced  and  out 
of  sight  while  he  was  laying  in  provisions  for  a 
long  voyage.  We  had  enjoyed  a  most  delightful 
day;  reaching  Mr.  Lawrence's  at  about  five  o'clock, 
where  we  found  a  dinner  to  which  we  did  ample 
justice. 


74         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

And  now  back  to  my  position  of  critic. 

The  great  passion  of  the  Southerner  is  to  become 
the  owner  of  a  large  landed  estate :  his  ambition  is  for 
broad  acres  and  heavy  crops.  Out  of  these  he  makes 
his  aristocracy,  not  based  on  learning  nor  personal 
worth  nor  ancestry,  but  on  personal  influence. 
The  inevitable  tendency  is  to  centralize  the  power 
of  the  State,  and  to  create  a  class  of  men  who  every 
year  stand  in  bolder  opposition  to  the  levelling 
democracy  of  the  North,  and  in  greater  antagonism 
to  the  principles  of  republicanism.  It  is  they,  not 
we,  who  have  departed  from  the  grand  historic 
thought  which  lies  at  the  centre  of  American  civili 
zation.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  immediate 
occasion  of  the  war,  it  is  plain  that  the  cause  of  it 
was  in  the  widely  differing  ambition  of  the  two 
peoples.  Driven  by  the  force  of  our  newspapers, 
our  pulpits,  our  literature,  our  lyceums,  and  our 
schools,  we  are  tending  more  and  more  directly  to 
the  extreme  of  democracy  ;  while  they  have  always 
had  an  itching  palm  for  the  privileges  of  the  Eng 
lish  landed  gentry, .whom  they  have  aped  for  half  a 
century.  They  disgusted  even  a  real  Britisher, 
Mr.  Russell,  by  their  whinings  after  a  prince. 
They  are  weary  of  republicanism,  forsooth,  because 
some  poor  fellow  may  stand  between  the  wind  and 
their  nobility. 

And  they  are  ever  pestering  one  with  the  power 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         75 

of  cotton.  Go  where  you  will,  your  ears  are  eter 
nally  dinned  with  sugar  and  cotton.  You  may 
commence  a  conversation  on  eclipses,  and  persist 
in  your  endeavors  to  steer  clear  of  the  fatal  sub 
ject  :  you  will  sail  along  smoothly  for  a  while  ;  but 
the  cry  will  soon  come  from  the  look-out,  "  Break 
ers  ahead  !  "  and,  before  you  know  it,  you  have  run 
your  vessel  high  and  dry  into  a  cotton  or  cane  field. 
I  have  often  suggested  that  there  were  in  the 
market  other  staple  products.  I  have  ventured  to 
mention  the  hay-crop  and  the  corn-crop  of  the 
North ;  and  once  I  grew  warm,  and  entered  into  a 
dissertation,  on  the  historic  and  politic  economical 
value  of  the  North.  I  spoke  of  the  individualism 
which  marks  us,  of  our  general  thrift,  our  edu 
cated  masses ;  and  called  the  gentleman's  attention 
to  the  fact,  that  the  saw  which  cut  the  boards  of  his 
house  was  made  in  the  North  ;  that  the  nails  he 
used  daily,  his  ploughs,  his  carpets,  his  furniture, 
his  beds,  his  knives  and  forks,  his  carriage,  his 
clock,  all  came  from  the  North.  "These  things," 
I  said,  "  indicate  that  the  people  are  intelligent, 
thoughtful,  and  worthy  the  place  they  occupy  in 
the  world's  history  as  the  exponents  of  a  new 
political  truth." 

"  Still  you  can't  get  along  without  cotton,"  was 
the  only  answer  I  could  elicit.  There  is  one  writer 
in  De  Bow's  Review  who  puts  this  material  in  its 


76         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

proper  place.  "There  was  a  time,"  he  says,  "when, 
the  number  of  slaves  in  the  States  being  very 
small,  an  universal  desire  to  emancipate  manifested 
itself.  It  was  a  calamity  to  be  dreaded  above  all 
things.  But  just  at  this  juncture,  just  in  the  nick 
of  time,  and  only  ten  years  after  King  George  had 
relinquished  his  rule  in  America,  in  steps  King 
Cotton,  forbidding  by  his  power  what  the  other  had 
forbidden  by  his  veto ;  viz.,  the  abolition  of  slavery: 
and  so  the  negroes  were  saved." 

This  chivalrous  king  has  done  still  more  for 
the  negroes.  "  It  has  fed  them,  clothed  them, 
sheltered  them,  protected  them  from  the  uncompro 
mising  civilization  about  them,  taught  thousands  of 
them  to  read  and  write,  and  converted  thousands 
more  to  the  Christian  religion." 

Think  of  this,  ye  careless  abolitionists  of  the 
North!  While  you  have  been  talking  about  fancied 
rights  and  wrongs,  the  generous  slaveholder  has 
completely,  and,  what  is  better,  practically,  solved 
the  whole  problem.  Out  of  pure  love  of  the  tropic 
race,  he  has  filled  his  fields  with  cotton-seed  in  the 
spring,  sent  his  hands  to  school  all  summer,  and 
reaped  a  crop  of  five  hundred  bales  in  the  autumn. 
Your  philanthropy  has  all  failed;  and  the  growth  of 
cotton  has  proved  that  the  slave  should  be  a  slave 
for  ever,  and  fill  the  white  man's  pocket  with 
gold. 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         77 

"  But,  if  you  would  learn  the  immense  importance 
of  this  weed  as  a  political  and  civil  influence,  you 
have  but  to  imagine  its  temporary  loss,  and  the 
awful  consequences  which  must  inevitably  follow. 
It  would  close  the  mills  of  Manchester,  and  an 
eighth  part  of  the  population  of  England  would,  at 
a  blow,  be  deprived  of  their  means  of  support; 
trade  and  commerce  would  be  completely  para 
lyzed  ;  and  so  intimately  connected  are  the  inter 
ests  of  the  civilized  world  now,  that  this  shock  to 
the  welfare  of  England  and  America  would  make  the 
whole  civilized  world  bankrupt.  It  would  carry 
ruin  to  the  abodes  of  people  in  Berlin,  who  have 
never  seen  a  negro  nor  raw  cotton,  and  imagine 
themselves  uninterested  in  either.  It  would  shake, 
if  not  destroy,  the  throne  of  Louis  Napoleon." 

I  have  met  all  degrees  of  conceit,  —  the  poor 
dandy,  who  flattered  himself  that  his  fine  looks  led 
captive  every  girl  whom  he  met ;  the  millionnaire, 
who  proudly  believed,  that,  with  a  nod  of  his  head, 
he  could  produce  an  earthquake :  but  this  reaches 
the  sublime.  It  towers  so  high,  that  we  forget  to 
laugh,  and  only  look  to  wonder. 

It  is  very  curious  to  look  at  such  an  assertion, 
made  in  1860,  in  the  light  of  the  events  of  the  last 
three  years.  A  disaster  has  happened  to  the  cot 
ton-crop  ;  and  instead  of  being  sold  to  fill  the  mills 
of  Manchester,  and  hold  up  the  throne  of  Napoleon, 


78         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

it  has  been  used  to  keep  shot  and  shell  from  our 
gunboats,  and  for  breastworks  by  both  rebel  and 
Union  forces.  Still,  the  convulsion  has  not  come. 
The  "  whole  civilized  world,"  instead  of  being  bank 
rupt,  is  making  money  as  fast  as  ever,  and  setting 
its  wits  at  work  to  find  a  substitute  for  that,  which, 
with  its  attendant  evils,  has  brought  on  one  of  the 
bloodiest  wars  of  history. 

The  Southerner  does  not  seem  to  have  any  pride 
in  the  progress  of  ideas :  he  confines  himself  to  his 
own  State ;  and,  with  a  bigotry  and  want  of  logic 
which  augur  ill  for  his  future,  he  clings  with  blind 
tenacity  to  State-rights,  and  persistently  ignores  the 
fact  of  a  central  government.  Patrick  Henry  said, 
"  I  am  not  a  Virginian ;  I  am  an  American : "  but  the 
Southerner  says,  with  equal  fire,  "I  am  not  an 
American,  but  a  Louisianian."  The  war  must  go 
on  until  it  removes  all  obstacles,  and  we  stand  on 
some  platform  where  we  can  have  a  community  of 
feeling. 

Hence  it  is,  that  what  may  be  called  the  civiliza 
tion  of  the  South  does  not  equal  that  of  the  North. 
You  find  there  the  old  feudal  times,  with  very  little 
change  to  fit  the  new  century.  After  you  leave 
the  large  cities,  you  seem  to  enter  into  a  new  cen 
tury,  and  to  breathe  the  air,  and  see  the  sights, 
which  belonged  to  France  and  England  four  hun 
dred  years  ago. 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         79 

The  plantation  is  the  old  feudal  estate.  There  I 
is  no  moated  wall,  no  draw-bridge,  no  row  of  stal-  ' 
wart  men  in  armor  clad  to  meet  you  at  the  en 
trance,  and  announce  your  arrival ;  but,  in  many 
essential  points,  the  resemblance  is  complete. 
Here,  in  the  castle,  are  those  who  hold  undisputed 
authority  over  from  one  to  three  hundred  human 
beings.  They  live  a  strange,  aimless  life.  Time 
hangs  on  their  hands  heavily,  and  each  day  is  but 
a  facsimile  of  every  other  day  in  the  year.  Yonder, 
in  those  little  sheds,  are  the  followers,  the  serfs, 
the  slaves,  of  the  chief.  They  are  purposely  kept 
in  ignorance,  because  learning  would  open  their 
eyes  to  their  degraded  condition,  and  they  would 
break  their  chains.  Like  the  serfs  of  Russia,  these 
people  belong  to  the  soil,  and  are  sold  with  it. 
They  are  fed  on  the  meanest  food  ;  live  in  the  midst 
of  all  manner  of  uncleanness ;  are  subject  to  the 
will  and  wishes  of  owner  and  overseer,  who  can 
score  their  backs  until  they  are  covered  with 
mountain-ridges  of  calloused  flesh ;  and  the  law  of 
the  State  protects  the  master,  and  passes  sentence 
of  death  on  the  sufferer  if  he  shows  the  spirit  of  a 
man,  and  lifts  his  arm  in  his  own  defence. 

There  is  an  infinite  gloom  hanging  over  such  a 
life.  It  may  do  for  the  brutal  land-owner  or  baron 
of  the  fifteenth  century ;  but  it  is  a  sorry  picture 
with  which  to  illustrate  the  pages  of  American 
history. 


80     ...    PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

The  President  "  builded  better  than  he  knew," 
when  he  struck  a  blow  at  this  institution ;  and  the 
people  of  our  land  should  demand  that  he  take  back 
the  words  which  exempt  certain  parishes,  and 
make  a  clean  sweep  from  one  end  of  the  country 
to  the  other. 

It  may  be  asked,  seeing  all  this  evil,  have  you 
not  discovered,  here  and  there,  a  spark  of  gold  ? 
My  only  answer  is,  that,  after  the  most  careful  ex 
amination,  I  can  see  in  the  system  only  unmitigated 
evil  for  both  planter  and  negro.  No  human  nature 
can  endure  the  life  of  the  planter,  and  retain  its 
integrity.  Its  inevitable  tendency  is  to  demoral 
ize.  This,  every  one,  who  has  had  opportunity 
for  observation,  will  admit.  That  the  laws  of  mo 
rality  are  very  loosely  kept,  is  abundantly  evident 
from  the  large  number  of  mulattoes  to  be  seen  every 
where  ;  and  it  does  not  increase  one's  respect  for 
the  moral  tone  of  society,  when  it  is  known  that 
these  things  are  regarded  as  a  matteY  of  course, 
even  by  the  planters'  families.  When  the  ladies 
of  her  court  attempted  to  tease  Marie  Antoinette 
about  the  penchant  which  Louis  had  for  certain 
fair  women,  she  replied,  "  Oh !  we  must  certainly 
allow  him  some  luxuries."  Still,  the  state  of  soci 
ety  in  the  time  of  Louis  is  not  one  to  be  made  a 
pattern  for  us.  Mr.  Russell,  when  dining  with  the 
Southern  commissioners,  says  the  celebrated  Keyes 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.          81 

affair  was  discussed,  and  the  hot  Southerners 
spoke  of  the  summary  way  in  which  such  things 
are  treated  by  them.  He  adds,  "An  argument 
which  can  scarcely  be  alluded  to  was  used  by 
them  to  show  that  these  offences  in  slave  States 
had  not  the  excuse  which  might  be  adduced  to 
diminish  their  gravity,  when  they  occurred  in 
States  where  all  the  population  were  white." 

Nothing  is  so  saddening,  to  one  who  loves  the 
whole  of  America,  as  this  general  want  of  any  na 
tional  pride,  which  oppresses  one  on  every  side  in 
the  South.  I  have  ridden  over  hundreds  of  miles 
of  Louisiana ;  have  met  with  all  classes  of  men, 
high  and  low,  rich  and  poor :  but  nowhere  did  I 
find  any  who  spoke  of  our  country.  There  is  no 
patriotism,  in  its  large  sense,  in  the  Southern 
States.  Since  Calhoun  became  the  representative 
and  idol  of  the  agricultural  interests,  and  dissemi 
nated  that  political  poison  which  produces  such 
hallucination,  that  the  Carolinian  and  Louisianian 
believe,  that,  when  America  is  mentioned,  their 
own  particular  State  is  meant,  there  has  been 
no  comprehensive  patriotism  in  any  of  the  slave 
States.  I  said  to  one,  who  was  vehemently  de 
claiming  about  sovereign  States,— 

"  But,  my  dear  sir,  are  the  United  States  a 
myth  ?  Is  there  no  central  Government,  to  which 
is  intrusted  a  supervision  over  the  whole  ?  Did 


8  PLANTERS    AND   PLANTATIONS. 

we  buy  this  State  of  yours  simply  because  we  had 
an  overplus  of  money  which  we  did  not  know  how 
to  invest  ?  Or,  on  the  other  hand,  did  Louisiana 
become  a  component  part  of  the  indivisible  integer 
known  as  the  United  States,  to  be  governed  in  all 
local  matters  by  her  own  citizens,  and  in  all  na 
tional  concerns  by  the  will  of  a  majority  of  the 
whole  people?" 

My  ire  was  of  no  use.  He  had  but  one  kind  of 
pride,  —  in  his  State.  Material  to  the  last  degree, 
he  insisted  on  the  final  triumph  of  the  Confederacy, 
because  cotton  and  sugar  are  necessary  to  the 
world.  Not  a  word  about  the  right  or  wrong  of 
secession.  These  are  arguments  which  pass  for 
just  nothing  in  the  Southern  mind.  It  was  all 
arithmetic.  England  consumes  so  much  cotton 
annually.  She  has  so  many  bales  on  hand.  In  so 
many  weeks,  her  mills  will  stop  running.  Then 
her  people  will  begin  to  clamor  for  bread.  As  a 
natural  consequence,  intervention  will  come.  The 
Confederacy  will  be  acknowledged,  the  blockade 
will  be  raised,  and  the  thing  is  done. 

Perhaps ! 

Never  in  my  life  have  I  felt  so  much  pride  in 
New  England  as  since  I  have  been  among  the 
planters  of  this  State.  Never  before  did  I  believe 
she  exercised  such  influence.  She  is  hated  with  a 
hatred  deep  and  bitter,  because  of  her  public 


PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS.         83 

schools,  and  her  most  persistent  notions  of  popu 
lar  education ;  for  her  free  press,  which,  with  a 
galling  independence,  discusses  the  merits  of  all 
questions  of  national  policy  ;  for  her  pulpits, 
whence  come  doctrines  which  keep  the  minds  of 
the  people  alive  with  quickening  thought ;  and  for 
her  large-hearted  and  continent-embracing  patri 
otism,  which  denounces  that  selfish  love  of  State 
which  forgets  the  whole  country,  and  is  absorbed 
in  the  petty  interests  of  the  plantation.  No  won 
der  we  are  looked  upon  as  the  incendiaries  of 
America.  But,  if  there  were  no  hay-stacks  nor 
powder-magazines  in  the  South,  why  should  they 
fear  this  open,  free  discussion  ?  They  can  talk  of 
us  as  they  please,  and  we  will  not  mob  their  speak 
ers.  They  may  criticise  our  institutions  as  bitterly 
as  they  choose.  We  are  not  afraid  when  they 
handle  fire.  They  fear  and  hate  us,  only  because 
we  are  republican,  and  they  are  not.  They  hate 
us  for  the  same  reason  that  aristocrats,  or  those 
who  would  be  such,  hate  true  democrats  the  world 
over,  —  because  we  are  determined  to  enlarge  the 
boundaries  of  popular  rights,  and  because  our 
pulpits  and  our  press  will  thunder  against 
every  thing  which  is  anti-republican,  wherever 
it  is  found.  Here  is  the  chief  source  of  trou 
ble.  The  State  flag  is  first ;  the  national  flag  is 
nowhere. 


84         PLANTERS  AND  PLANTATIONS. 

Believe  me,  there  is  but  one  remedy.  It  is  to 
conquer  these  people  by  an  irresistible  force ;  per 
sist  in  the  war  at  all  hazards  and  costs,  until  the 
victory  is  complete ;  enforce  all  national  measures 
with  a  hand  of  iron ;  decree  that  every  man  who 
treads  the  soil  shall  be  free,  and  that  wealth  and 
position  and  fame  are  open  to  competition  by  all; 
and  then  leave  half  our  army  to  settle  in  the 
lands  they  have  conquered.  Then  will  the  radical 
change  come. 

Sure  am  I,  that  not  till  then  shall  we  have  a 
country  that  is  worth  our  boasting ;  and  as  sure 
am  I,  that,  when  that  day  shall  come,  a  new  era 
will  be  inaugurated,  —  a  golden  era,  in  which  the 
people  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf  will  have,  for 
the  first  time,  one  purpose  and  one  aim.  We  shall 
be  one  people,  and  come  out  of  the  fiery  furnace  of 
this  great  trial  cleansed,  and  renewed  in  our  man 
hood. 


LOUISIANIANS.  85 


CHAPTER    III. 

LOUISIANIANS. 

COULD  an  angel  take  his  position  above  any  of 
our  great  Northern  cities,  what  would  he  see 
that  would  tell  him  that  the  people  below  were 
engaged  in  a  war  mightier  in  its  results  than  the 
wars  of  Alexander  and  Cgesar?  Poising  thus  mid- 
heaven,  he  would  see  only  the  swaying  crowd  ask 
ing  the  price  of  stocks  one  minute ;  and,  the  next, 
turning  to  the  list  of  killed  and  wounded ;  and,  the 
next,  inquiring  again  the  price  of  stocks.  Be  his 
eye  never  so  clear,  he  would  fail  to  detect  the  signs 
of  a  great  national  struggle,  either  on  the  wharves 
or  in  the  busy  marts.  Only  when,  with  a  power 
granted  to  angels  alone,  he  should  look  into  our 
homes,  would  he  discover  the  terrible  shadow 
which  the  god  of  war  casts  as  he  stalks  through 
the  world.  Here,  a  young  wife :  one  who  has 
known  the  sacred  glory  and  peace  of  wedded  life 
for  a  few  short  months  only ;  who  gave  her  all 
without  a  murmur  and  without  a  foreboding ;  sit 
ting  now  by  her  lonely  hearth,  the  fire  gone  out, 


86  LOUISIANIANS. 

and  the  fire  in  her  heart  gone  out  with  it.  She 
sits  weeping;  for  she  has  a  strange,  vacant  feel 
ing  in  her  soul,  which  nothing  now  on  earth  €an 
fill.  She  looks  with  eager  eyes  at  something 
which  she  thinks  she  must  see ;  but  it  is  not  there. 
In  swe^t  forgetfulness,  she  speaks  aloud  a  loved 
name ;  but  the  sound  of  her  own  voice  calls  her 
back  to  the  reality :  then  she  covers  her  face  with 
her  hands,  and  weeps  as  only  such  as  she  can. 
There,  again,  is  one  bent  with  years.  She  holds 
in  her  trembling  hand  a  letter;  and,  as  her  eyes 
are  lifted  to  the  great  God  who  sees  all  his  chil 
dren,  her  lips  murmur,  "  He  was  my  only  boy,  and 
now  I  am  alone  ! "  There,  still  again,  in  her  own 
room,  apart  from  the  family,  sits  a  young  girl. 
She  has  known  only  the  summer-time  of  life  until 
now;  and,  as  the  hot  tears  fall  thick  and  fast,  the 
angel  who  looks  from  his  lofty  poise  sighs  in  sym 
pathy,  and  whispers,  in  such  sweet  tones  that  the 
echo  falls  upon  the  sad  one's  ear,  "  My  child,  the 
good  God  doeth  all  things  well." 

And  then  the  angel  casts  his  eye  from  these 
homes  of  sorrow  to  the  distant  fields  of  Virginia 
or  the  West ;  and  there,  lying  under  a  tree,  the 
young  husband  is  praying  with  his  last  breath  for 
her  who  is  so  soon  to  be  a  w^idow.  And  yonder, 
lying  on  his  back,  cold  and  bloody,  is  the  fair-haired 
boy,  whose  last  word  was  "  Mother  ! ;?  And  yon- 


LOUISIANIANS.  87 

der,  again,  by  that  broken  cannon,  bleeds  the  brave 
youth  for  whom  the  maiden  weeps.  He  has  taken 
from  his  bosom  a  miniature ;  and  as  he  falls  back, 
giving  his  body  to  the  earth,  he  presses  the  picture 
to  his  lips.  This  is  war,  and  all  that  we  of  the 
North  have  ever  known  of  it. 

Not  so  in  Louisiana.  Every  thing  there  reminds 
you  of  its  destructive  power.  Three  years  ago, 
the  river  was  alive  with  steamboats.  By  night, 
as  well  as  by  day,  the  noise  of  their  paddle-wheels 
and  the  screaming  of  their  whistles  disturbed  your 
repose.  The  wharves  and  the  levees  groaned 
with  the  burden  of  a  great  commerce.  The  streets 
were  filled  with  drays ;  and  the  cursing  crowd  of 
drivers  gave  evidence  of  plenty  of  business.  The 
St.  Charles  was  crowded  with  people  from  every 
nation  on  the  globe.  But  now  you  can  hardly 
recognize  the  place.  A  terrible  and  fatal  palsy 
has  taken  hold  of  the  limbs  of  that  giant  city.  You 
can  run  your  horse  along  the  wharves  and  the 
levee,  and  through  the  streets,  without  danger 
of  collision.  It  seems  as  though  a  plague  had 
fallen  upon  the  doomed  city,  and  all  the  people  had 
fled  in  dismay. 

The  St.  Charles  is  empty.  Its  vast  drinking- 
room,  reminding  you  that  the  most  important  part 
of  a  Southern  hotel  is  the  bar,  echoes  your  steps 
like  a  hall  deserted.  You  may  pass  along  the  chief 


88  LOUISIANIANS. 

business  streets ;  and,  on  an  average,  not  one  store 
in  five  will  be  open  :  and  the  few  that  are  open 
in  the  daytime  close  at  dusk ;  for  the  custom 
will  not  warrant  the  necessary  expenditure  for 
gas. 

I  was,  at  first,  strangely  affected  by  this  appear 
ance  of  universal  stagnation.  As  I  looked  round 
upon  the  desolation  which  everywhere  prevailed, 
I  could  not  help  crying  out  in  pity,  "  Alas  !  Eome 
is  no  longer  Rome."  It  was  a  long  time  before  I 
could  shake  off  this  funereal  gloom.  I  did  get 
bravely  over  it,  however,  by  asking  a  few  pertinent 
questions. 

"  Whose  store  is  this  ?  " 

"  It  was  John  Brugier's,  sir." 

"  Why  do  you  say  was  ?  " 

"  Because  he  has  packed  up  all  his  goods,  and 
gone  beyond  the  lines.'7 

The  truth  was,  that  every  closed  shutter  was 
the  sign  of  a  rebel ;  and,  as  the  closed  shutters 
were  to  the  open  windows  as  ten  to  one,  I  was 
forcibly  reminded  that  I  was  living  in  a  city  of 
traitors,  upon  whose  heels  was  just  coming  the 
punishment  of  their  great  crime. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  these  marks  of  fire  on 
the  levees,  and  of  those  charred  planks  on  the 
river-bank?  They  are  indications  of  the  places 
where  thousands  of  cotton-bales  were  set  on  fire, 


LOUISIANIANS,  89 

and  steamboats  and  river-craft  by  the  dozen,  when 
the  Orleanists  heard  that  Ben  Butler  was  coming 
up  the  river. 

So  the  levees  were  empty,  and  there  was  no 
trade  on  the  river  ;  and,  in  consequence,  the  people 
of  the  city  were  being  put  to  great  straits  for  a 
living,  because  they  all  hated  the  old  flag  which 
was  coming  proudly  and  victoriously  up  the 
stream. 

I  grew  to  be  even  glad  of  the  deep  gloom ;  for  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  desolation  was  a  richly  mer 
ited  punishment.  There  was  only  one  class  that  I 
pitied,  —  the  class  that,  left  to  act  according  to  its 
true  instincts,  will  always  be  on  the  side  of  re 
publicanism.  The  poorer  people,  those  who  are 
termed  well-to-do,  and  the  laboring  multitudes,  — 
these  I  greatly  pitied.  They  will  continue  to  suf 
fer  ;  and  large  numbers  must  be  supported  by  our 
Government  until  that  auspicious  day  when  peace 
restores  to  them  the  blessed  privilege  of  earning 
their  daily  bread. 

It  seems  that  the  rebels  were  aware  of  the  Union 
proclivities  of  these  people,  and,  even  in  the  hurry 
and  bustle  of  defeat,  did  not  fail  to  take  their  re 
venge  ;  for,  when  the  enemy's  troops  were  about 
to  evacuate  the  place,  there  were  many  thousands 
of  hogsheads  of  sugar,  and  barrels  of  molasses,  to 
be  destroyed.  With  large  sledge-hammers,  the  men 


90  LOUISIANIANS. 

who  were  detailed  for  this  duty  drove  the  heads  of 
the  barrels  and  hogsheads  in ;  and,  when  the  crowd 
of  poor  came  with  their  buckets  to  save  a  part  of 
the  immense  spoils,  they  were  driven  away  at  the 
bayonet's  point.  This  wanton  destruction  of  pro 
perty  was  simply  a  proof  that  the  South  were  un 
consciously  committing  suicide.  They  hate  us,  the 
Yankees,  not  with  an  honorable,  chivalrous  hatred, 
but  with  a  petty  spitefulness,  which  is  the  charac 
teristic  of  a  small  nature  engaged  in  an  unworthy 
cause. 

I  saw  no  indications  of  that  heavy  gloom,  that 
sullen,  lowering,  portentous  gloom,  which  fills 
the  heart  of  the  patriot  Pole  when  he  feels  the 
tyranny  of  the  Czar.  I  can  conceive  of  a  city 
brooding  in  silence  over  real  or  fancied  wrongs, 
wrapped  in  affliction,  and  filling  the  atmosphere 
of  every  street  with  most  ominous  murmurings ; 
but  you  discover  none  of  that  massive,  frowning 
earnestness  in  New  Orleans.  The  dainty  damsel 
carefully  gathers  up  her  skirts  as  she  goes  by  a 
Union  soldier,  or  wears  a  breastpin  on  which  is 
gaudily  painted  the  rebel  flag ;  the  strong  man, 
standing  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  mutters  some 
thing  about  the  damned  Yankees  ;  the  mob,  at  dead 
of  night,  hurrah  for  Jeff  Davis :  that  is  all.  The 
people  of  the  city,  once  in  a  while,  splutter  a  rebel 
sentiment ;  but  their  secessionism  is  of  the  pouting, 


LOUISIANIANS.  91 

petulant  sort,  rather  than  earnest :  it  is  mean  and 
poor-spirited,  not  grand  or  noble.  It  is  chiefly 
shown  by  the  wealthiest  in  complaints  that  they 
cannot  run  their  plantations,  and  get  their  usual 
harvest  j  and  by  all  others,  in  deceiving  the  cus 
toms,  and  smuggling  goods  beyond  our  lines, 
whereby  a  mint  of  money  is  made. 

My  feeling  is,  that  the  poetry  and  romance  of 
secessionism  are  all  gone.  Instead  of  gloom,  which 
may  conceal  the  most  devoted  patriotism,  you  find, 
among  the  planters,  only  disappointment.  I  have 
talked  with  hundreds  of  them ;  and,  after  spending 
five  minutes  in  discussing  the  right  of  the  matter, 
they  have  invariably  ended  by  hoping  that  affairs 
will  be  so  arranged  that  the  "  plantations  "  and  the 
"  niggers "  can  be  rendered  profitable.  It  was 
because  the  price  of  negroes  was  gradually  getting 
so  high  that  the  gain  on  the  crop  was  materially 
lessened,  —  dollars  and  cents,  —  that  all,  except  the 
crafty  politicians,  gave  their  support  to  the  war. 
Secessionism  was  little  else  than  an  immense  finan 
cial  speculation,  covered  up  by  a  vast  cumulus  of 
nebulous  rhetoric  about  Southern  rights.  The  only 
right  they  cared  for  was  the  right  to  turn  human 
blood  into  bullion.  They  chafed,  not  at  any  harsh 
laws  which  we  had  imposed,  but  against  the  hu 
mane  sentiment  of  the  age  as  represented  by  the 
people  of  the  Free  States.  They  openly  confess 


92  LOUISIANIANS. 

that  the  independence  of  the  South  would  have 
opened  the  African  slave-trade.  This  would  have 
brought  the  negro's  price  down  to  eight  hundred 
dollars,  instead  of  sixteen  as  it  was  two  years  ago ; 
and  then  the  profits  of  the  crop  would  have  been 
greater. 

If  you  leave  the  city,  and  take  the  level  road  to 
Baton  Rouge,  —  a  hundred  and  thirty  miles  up 
the  river,  —  the  desolation  becomes  all  the  more 
marked.  There  is  not  a  single  planter  in  the  de 
partment  who  has  not  personally  suffered  through 
this  war.  Their  crops  of  sugar-cane,  yielding  from 
five  hundred  to  a  thousand  hogsheads  of  sugar,  are 
still  standing  in  February ;  and  there  is  no  hope  of 
saving  them,  for  the  frost  has  been  at  work  on 
them.  I  have  ridden  through  miles  of  plantations, 
from  which  only  a  few  hogsheads  of  sugar  had  been 
made.  Cane  is  standing  now  in  March  ;  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  acres  of  it.  Thus  the  crop 
of  the  past  year  is  nothing ;  and  that  of  the  coming 
year  will  be  the  same.  The  planters'  negroes  have 
all  fled;  their  horses  have  all  been  stolen,  their  mules 
and  teams  have  all  been  confiscated.  They  stand 
in  the  midst  of  their  great  plantations,  with  the 
interest  on  a  heavy  mortgage  staring  them  in 
the  face,  perfectly  powerless.  Can  they  get  their 
niggers  back  ?  Yes,  if  they  choose  to  come,  —  not 
otherwise ;  and  then  they  are  apprentices,  and  no 


LOUISIANIANS.  93 

longer  slaves.  Can  they  recover  their  teams  and 
mules  ?  Not  one.  Fifty  thousand  Union  soldiers 
are  somewhere  within  a  hundred  miles  of  them; 
and  their  baggage  must  have  transportation,  and 
their  food  be  carried  from  camp  to  camp.  Uncle 
Sam;  with  more  than  his  usual  foresight  and  seve 
rity,  has  pressed  into  the  service  of  his  soldiers 
the  whole  mule-force  of  the  department.  What, 
then,  is  left  for  the  planters  to  do  ?  How  can  they 
pay  the  demands  of  angry  creditors  against  their 
estate  ? 

These  are  questions  a  hundred  gentlemen  have 
asked  me.  I  have  had  only  one  answer,  and  that 
was  suggested  by  Dr.  Johnson.  One  day,  a  wretched 
vagabond,  after  exhausting  all  other  arguments  in 
hopes  of  getting  the  longed-for  charity,  cried  out 
surlily,  — 

"  But  I  must  live,  sir." 

"  I  don't  recognize  any  such  necessity,"  replied 
the  gruff  doctor,  and  marched  on. 

"  I  must  carry  on  my  plantation,"  said  one  of 
these  sufferers,  who  are  well  aware  that  they  are 
paying  a  heavy  price  for  the  luxury  of  rebellion. 

"  Why  must  you  ?  "  I  retorted. 

"  Why  must  I  ?  Because,  if  I  don't,  I  can't  pay 
my  debts." 

"  Well,  suppose  you  do  not  pay  your  debts  :  what 
of  it,  sir  ?  " 


94  LOUISIANIANS. 

"  What  of  it  ?  "  said  my  irate  friend,  —  "  what  of 
it,  sir  ?  Why,  I  shall  starve,  and  all  my  family  will 
be  reduced  to  poverty.  Three  years  ago,  I  was 
worth  a  million  ;  now,  not  a  picayune.77 

"  Exactly,77  I  replied  ;  "  and  what,  pray,  does  the 
United-States  Government  care,  whether  you,  who 
for  two  years  have  stood  in  opposition  to  it,  are 
worth  a  picayune  or  not  ?  If  you  are  a  beggar,  put 
it  down  as  the  legitimate  result  of  rebellion.77 

DOLLARS  AND  CENTS. 

That  man  voted  for  the  act  of  secession,  and 
grew  eloquent  as  he  dilated  on  the  glories  of 
Southern  independence,  and  detailed  the  tyrannies 
of  the  North.  He  gave  five  thousand  dollars  to  the 
cause,  and  publicly  pledged  his  life.  Now  he  is 
willing  to  take  a  round  hundred  oaths  of  allegiance 
for  the  sake  of  a  few  mules  and  teams. 

The  war  is  really  a  terrible  burden  to  the  South. 
We  are  afflicted  in  our  sympathies  and  our  affec 
tions  :  they  have,  superadded  to  this,  a  heavy  afflic 
tion  in  the  pocket.  Their  whole  country  is  running 
wild :  it  is  impossible  to  hope  for  any  crops.  So 
the  enemy  either  sits  down  in  despair,  passive, 
because  powerless ;  or,  enraged,  cuts  the  levee, 
and  floods  and  destroys  the  plantations  for  miles 
around.  It  will  require  many,  many  years  to  re 
store  the  country  between  New  Orleans  and  Baton 
Rouge  to  its  ancient  position  of  plenty  and  thrift. 


LOUISIANIANS.  95 

But,  besides  all  this,  there  is  the  work  of  the 
cannon-ball  to  be  reckoned.  Not  only  is  the  trade 
of  the  entire  department  checked,  and  not  only  are 
its  crops  destroyed,  but  its  towns,  many  of  them, 
have  been  more  or  less  injured.  Baton  Rouge  has 
lost  its  magnificent  State  House :  nothing  but  the 
outer  frame  of  brick-work  remains.  The  splendid 
statue  of  Washington  (by  Powers)  was  saved  ;  and 
that  is  all.  The  costly  furniture  and  the  elegant 
library,  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
country,  were  completely  demolished.  Its  works 
of  art,  collected  at  vast  expense,  —  the  result  of 
many  years  of  labor,  —  all  have  disappeared. 
Within  those  walls,  in  1861,  were  heard  words  of 
burning  eloquence  from  some  of  the  most  gifted 
sons  of  the  State,  inciting  the  people  of  Louisiana 
to  rebellion.  Men  who  had  been  taught  to  revere 
the  past  history  of  republicanism  now  dared  to 
point  the  finger  of  scorn  at  it.  The  old  flag,  which 
had  floated  over  every  sea,  protecting  Southern 
commerce ;  that  had  been  won  by  the  mingled  life- 
blood  of  Northerner  and  Southerner,  who  forgot 
partisan  feeling,  and  fought  for  human  liberty, — 
the  old  flag  was  laughed  to  bitter  scorn,  and  tossed 
into  the  dirt.  This  was  done  in  the  State  capitol, 
which  now  lies  in  ruins.  Yes :  it  was  done  in  the 
presence  of  that  statue,  which  Northern  genius  had 
carved,  of  him  who  was  not  only  a  Virginian,  but 


96  LOUISIANIANS. 

an  American.  Surely  they  must  have  known  that 
the  sacrilege  would  be  avenged. 

In  1862,  the  old  flag  met  the  new  flag  face  to 
face.  The  battle  was  fought  within  the  very 
shadow  of  that  senate-chamber.  Williams  bravely 
led  on  his  men;  and  fell.  Nothing  daunted,  Cahill 
and  Dudley,  who  are  every  inch  soldiers,  gathered 
their  forces,  and,  making  a  determined  onset  while 
the  bullets  were  flying  like  hail-stones,  drove  the 
new  flag  away,  and  planted  the  old  flag  —  the  only 
flag  of  the  American  —  in  its  accustomed  place 
over  the  State  capitol.  It  must  have  waved  proudly 
there  while  the  stars  and  bars  crept  behind  the 
horizon  in  the  distance.  But  all  was  not  over,  even 
then.  The  recreant  building  was  fired ;  and,  while 
the  flames  were  spreading,  the  one  thing  that  was 
saved  was  the  statue  that  had  been  a  silent  witness 
of  the  treason  which  had  been  plotted  for  many 
months.  It  seemed  then  as  though  justice  was 
satisfied.  The  framework  of  the  building  stands 
to-day,  looking  gloomily  down  on  the  river,  —  a 
wreck  of  former  grandeur,  and  a  prophecy  of  the 
end  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  little  town  of  Donaldsonville,  too,  is  a  suf 
ferer.  Our  gunboats  were  frequently  fired  upon 
by  the  guerillas  belonging  to  the  place.  Gen.  But 
ler  bore  the  outrage  until  forbearance  ceased  to 
be  a  virtue  ;  and  then  assured  the  people,  that,  if  it 


LOUISIANIANS.  97 

were  again  committed,  he  would  shell  the  town. 
It  was  again  committed ;  and,  I  need  not  add,  the 
gunboats  did  their  duty.  It  afterwards  became 
necessary  to  get  rid  of  a  large  number  of  brick 
buildings  which  stood  in  the  way  of  our  artillery ; 
and,  consequently,  they  were  destroyed.  There  is 
about  half  of  the  original  town  left.  Many  of  the 
inhabitants  have  fled ;  and,  were  it  not  for  the  pre 
sence  of  our  troops,  the  place  would  be  lonely 
enough.  All  who  had  the  power  and  the  money 
fled  at  once  to  the  rebel  lines.  Those  left  were 
mostly  poor  Creoles,  Spanish,  French,  and  German, 
who  were  almost  to  a  man  Unionists.  They  have 
been  of  great  service  to  us  as  guides,  and  in  giving 
us  valuable  information. 

This  class  of  Louisianians,  the  Creoles,  is  made  up 
of  people  whose  peculiarities  demand  a  somewhat 
extended  notice.  There  is  the  poor  and  the  rich 
Creole.  The  rich  one  is,  perhaps,  the  bitterest 
enemy  to  the  cause  of  the  North  that  can  be  found. 
He  is  virulent  in  his  hatred,  and  will  stop  at  no 
bounds.  He  will  utter  his  treason  in  spite  of  the 
law.  You  may  take  his  slaves,  his  teams,  his  crop, 
his  house,  and  leave  him  a  beggar;  still  he  will  not 
flinch.  He  is  the  enemy  of  the  flag,  and  glories  in 
it.  He  is  the  only  man  in  the  South,  the  politician 
and  demagogue  excepted,  who  is  really  willing  to 
sacrifice  every  thing  for  the  sake  of  the  cause.  He 


98  LOUISIANIANS. 

was  born  on  the  soil.  He  lias  hot  blood  in  his 
veins.  He  is  full  of  ignorance  and  prejudice.  The 
chances  are,  that  he  is  not  a  person  of  any  educa 
tion.  He  has  not  the  undisputed  entree  into  the 
highest  circles.  He  is  regarded,  socially,  with  sus 
picion  by  his  wealthy  neighbors,  and  with  some 
thing  like  envy  and  hatred  by  the  poor.  He  is, 
generally,  a  hard,  pinching  master  ;  a  sycophant  in 
the  presence  of  those  higher,  a  tyrant  over  those 
below  him.  He  knows  nothing  of  the  North ;  for 
he  reads  little.  He  caiinot  calmly  discuss  the  is 
sues  of  the  hour ;  for  he  has  never  thought  of  them. 
He  has  given  himself  to  the  war,  because  of  an 
inherent  hatred  of  abolitionists. 

When  you  talk  to  another  of  the  institution,  he 
will  blandly  and  plausibly  argue  concerning  its 
divinity,  assert  its  missionary  influence,  and  adduce 
facts  to  prove  that  free  labor  will  never  succeed  at 
the  South ;  but,  beneath  it  all,  you  see  that  the 
man  has  twisted  himself  into  such  a  belief.  His 
instincts  are  all  the  other  way.  His  interest  has 
warped  him.  Change  the  direction  of  the  interest, 
and,  presto !  you  have  a  good  abolitionist. 

Not  so  with  the  Creole.  A  love  of  slavery  is  in 
the  marrow  of  his  bones.  He  says  he  has  so  many 
"  head  of  niggers/7  as  he  speaks  of  his  cattle.  He 
never  talks  to  you  of  slavery  as  a  missionary  soci 
ety.  That  is  the  stronghold  of  one  who  does  not 


LOUISIANIANS.  99 

believe  what  he  asserts.  He  never  offers  any  sta 
tistics  to  prove  that  free  labor  is  impracticable. 
He  stands  on  a  platform  beneath  which  are  no  such 
subterfuges.  He  simply  says,  — 

"  The  nigger,  sir,  was  intended  by  Almighty 
God  to  be  the  slave  of  the  white  man.  He  isn't  a 
man :  he  belongs  to  a  lower  order  of  being." 

"  But,  sir,"  you  commence  to  reply. 

"  There  are  no  l  buts  '  about  it.  I  have  lived 
fifty  years  with  them.  I  know  them  through  and 
through ;  and  nothing  is  more  evident  to  a  sane 
man,  than  that  the  nigger  is  one  grade  only  above 
the  ape." 

This  is  refreshing.  There  is  no  chance  for  argu 
ment.  You  are  simply  dealing  with  a  fanatic  of 
the  worst  and  most  unreasonable  kind.  He  is  wor 
shipping  his  ebony  idol  with  all  the  blind  devotion 
of  the  East  Indian.  He  is  not  a  man  of  the  nine 
teenth  century,  but  shows  all  the  characteristics 
of  a  semi-barbarous  age.  He  resists  the  Govern 
ment  at  every  point. 

Just  beyond  Carrollton  is  an  immense  and  mag 
nificent  estate  owned  by  one  of  these  Creoles. 
His  annual  yield  of  sugar  is  fifteen  hundred  hogs 
heads.  He  might  have  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance, 
and  thus  saved  his  property ;  but  he  would  not. 
The  work  of  depredation  commenced  ;  but  he  bore 
it  without  a  murmur.  First  we  took  his  wagons, 


100  LOUISIANIANS. 

harnesses,  and  mules  :  he  said  nothing,  but  scowled 
most  awfully.  Next  we  emptied  his  stables  of 
horses  for  the  cavalry  service  ;  he  did  not  have 
even  a  pony  left,  and  was  compelled  to  trudge 
along  on  foot :  still  nothing  was  said.  Next  we 
took  his  entire  crop,  ground  it  in  his  own  sugar- 
house,  used  his  barrels  for  the  molasses,  and  his 
hogsheads  for  the  sugar,  and  marked  the  head  of 
each  "  U.  S. :  "  not  a  murmur.  Then  his  negroes, 
three  hundred  and  more,  house-servants  and  all, 
took  it  into  their  woolly  heads  to  come  within  our 
camp-lines.  The  Creole  was  most  completely 
stripped  :  still  he  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  ruins, 
damning  Abe  Lincoln,  and  wishing  that  he  had 
eight  instead  of  four  sons  in  the  rebel  army. 

He  is  our  only  enemy  in  the  South  for  whom  I 
have  any  respect.  He  is  the  only  man  who  is  ter 
ribly  in  earnest.  He  has  thrown  every  thing  into 
the  dice-box,  and  is  willing  to  meet  the  result. 
While  others  are  intriguing  to  get  from  the  com 
manding  general  some  new  concession,  he  sits 
under  his  gallery,  moody,  ugly,  dangerous.  In 
degenerate  times  like  these,  an  earnest  friend  is 
the  best  thing  to  see ;  but  the  next  best  thing 
is  an  earnest  enemy. 

The  poor  Creoles,  the  only  Union  men  of  the 
South,  except  the  negroes,  are  an  entirely  different 
kind  of  people.  They  are  the  social  victims  of  the 


LOUISIANIANS.  101 

institution.  They  are  looked  dow.ri  <;<po6/and  trod 
den  upon  by  every  other  class -in,  society* 

"  Why  should  I  love  the  South  ? ''  -said  one  to  me 
in  a  moment  of  confidence  ;  "  and  why  should  I 
uphold  slavery  ?  I  am  a  poor  man,  and  there  is  no 
possibility  of  my  ever  becoming  any  thing  else.  I 

am  an  overseer ;  but  Mr.  B will  not  let  me  go 

into  his  parlor,  nor  will  he  allow  me  to  sit  at  his 
table.  I  am  just  as  much  a  slave  as  though  I  were 
black." 

"  But  suppose  slavery  were  abolished  ?  " 

"  Why,  then  society  would  be  different.  Public 
opinion  would  help  me.  It  would  not  be  simply 
slaves  and  masters  :  it  would  be  the  wealthy,  the 
working-class,  and  the  poor.  There  is  no  ladder 
now  up  which  I  can  climb :  there  would  be  one 
then." 

He  knew  just  where  he  stood,  and  the  reason 
why  he  stood  there. 

Again :  when  our  forces  were  on  the  march 
towards  Opelousas,  I  rode  over  one  of  the  magnifi 
cent  prairies  to  a  small  white  house,  which  offered 
a  quiet  retreat  for  the  night.  The  proprietor  was  a 
Creole,  who  owned  a  farm  of  some  two  hundred 
acres,  and  fifty  or  sixty  head  of  cattle.  When,  at 
nightfall,  I  seated  myself  on  the  gallery,  I  noticed 
that  he  was  walking  back  and  forth  in  great  trepi 
dation. 


102  LOUISIANIANS. 


is  the  trouble  ?  " 

"•Oh,,djE>ar!  oh,  dear  !  I  was  only  damning  Gov. 
Mouionl"  '  : 

"  That  is  good  Christian  work,  certainly  ;  and  I 
hope  you  will  find  relief  in  it.  But,  prithee,  why 
do  you  damn  that  good  rebel  ?  " 

"  Because  I  voted  for  him,  and  he  has  ruined 
me/7  he  replied  very  dolefully. 

"  Why  did  you  vote  for  him  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  we  poor  Creoles  couldn't  help  it.  He  got 
us  all  in  a  large  hall,  and  told  us  he  would  get  us 
rid  of  the  United  States,  and  we  should  all  be  rich 
men.  I  made  objections  against  many  of  his  mea 
sures  ;  but  his  friends  only  said,  '  Oh  !  he  will  fix 
all  that  when  he  is  Governor  :  '  so  we  voted  for 
him,  and  now  we  are  ruined." 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  State  of  Louisiana  was 
lost  because  there  were  no  newspapers  to  regulate 
public  opinion,  and  no  public  education,  which 
teaches  the  poor  man  to  think  for  himself. 

"  Oh  !  the  candidate  will  fix  all  that  when  he 
is  elected,"  would  not  satisfy  the  New-England 
farmer. 

I  have  never  been  so  surprised  in  my  life  as  I 
was  at  the  discovery  of  the  vast  amount  of  igno 
rance  among  the.  poorer  classes.  You  may  travel 
twenty  miles  from  almost  any  central  point,  and 
find  neither  schoolhouse  nor  church.  You  may 


LOUISIANIANS.  103 

enter  twenty  houses  of  small  farmers,  and  not  find 
a  single  book.  The  humble  classes  neither  read, 
write,  nor  think.  Indeed,  the  impression  one  re 
ceives  in  going  among  the  peasantry  of  the  South 
is,  that  they  belong  to  a  past  age,  or  to  one  of  the 
older  countries,  and  certainly  not  to  this  most  bril 
liant  century,  which  boasts  of  nothing  so  much  as 
of  its  unlimited  means  of  education. 

Once  in  a  while,  society  is  called  upon  to  pay  the 
score.  Near  Franklin,  or  within  a  circle  of  fifty 
miles  from  that  centre,  are  some  three  hundred 
Arizonians,  —  a  population  that  could  exist  only  in 
the  South.  They  are  owners  of  small  farms,  igno 
rant,  unprincipled,  treacherous.  Everybody  lifts 
his  hand  against  them,  and  their  hands  strike  at 
everybody's  face.  Lately,  they  joined  in  solemn 
league  to  befriend  each  other  in  case  of  difficulty, 
to  resist  the  conscript  act,  and  to  live  on  their 
neighbors.  They  were  a  motley  crew,  all  good 
shots,  and  all  determined  not  to  enter  the  army. 
One  night,  four  fine  horses  were  stolen  from  the 
ample  stables  of  George  Barker.  After  great 
trouble,  they  were  traced  to  the  humbler  barn  of 
one  John  Solin.  When  the  said  John  was  asked 
how  he  came  by  the  horses,  he  quietly  said  that  he 
had  owned  them  about  five  years ;  and,  to  prove 
his  assertion,  he  brought  them  out,  and  exhi 
bited  his  private  mark  on  the  shoulder  of  each. 


104  LOUISIANIANS. 

Of  course,  George  Barker  was  thunder-struck. 
He  had  supposed,  that,  when  the  property  was 
found,  the  poor  devil  of  an  Arizonian  would  go 
down  on  his  knees,  beg  off,  and  promise  never  to 
do,  or  rather  be  found  doing,  the  like  again. 

After  some  parley,  the  said  John  was  marched 
off  to  jail  ;  and,  the  next  day,  four  neighbors 
solemnly  swore  that  they  recognized  the  horses 
by  well-known  marks,  and  that  they  belonged  to 
George  Barker.  Judge  of  the  surprise,  not  only 
of  George,  but  also  of  his  four  rich  neighbors, 
when  the  placid  John  brought  into  court  twenty 
Arizonians,  each  of  whom  most  solemnly  swore 
that  they,  too,  recognized  the  said  horses,  and  that, 
to  their  certain  knowledge,  John  Solin  had  owned 
them  during  the  last  five  years  ! 

The  members  of  this  society  would  have  sworn 
any  thing,  however  preposterous.  They  did  not 
know  the  value  of  an  oath,  nor  did  they  have  the 
slightest  fear  of  perjury. 

The  court  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  decide 
that  the  visual  organs  of  George  and  his  four  rich 
neighbors  were  out  of  order,  while  placid  John 
carried  his  noble  horses  home  in  triumph. 

These  marauders  rendered  the  country  unsafe  for 
many  miles  around.  At  last,  when  the  whole  police 
force  of  the  district  were  set  on  their  track,  they 
retired  to  an  island  of  upland  in  the  middle  of  a 


LOUISIANIANS.  105 

floating  prairie.  It  was  a  perfect,  natural  strong 
hold.  This  floating  prairie  consists  of  finely-knit 
and  knotted  roots,  about  eighteen  inches  in  thick 
ness,  which  have  entirely  covered  the  surface  of  a 
lake.  Cut  through  this  mat,  and  you  come  to  wa 
ter,  as  in  the  North  you  cut  through  the  ice  with 
the  same  result.  It  is  dangerous  to  travel  over 
these  prairies,  unless  you  are  well  acquainted  with 
the  path.  As  you  walk  along,  the  unsteady  sod 
gives  beneath  your  feet ;  and,  if  you  should  fall 
through,  there  is  no  hope.  No  horse  or  carriage 
can  pass  over  them. 

It  was  to  such  a  place  as  this  that  the  Arizonians 
retired  :  and  if,  by  chance,  some  luckless  police 
man  fell  into  their  hands,  he  was  treated  as  a  natu 
ral  enemy,  and  put  to  death ;  or  if  one  of  the  party 
ventured  home  for  a  few  days,  and  was  caught,  no 
bribes  nor  threats  could  induce  him  to  discover  to 
the  officers  of  justice  the  firm  paths  over  the  float 
ing  prairie.  He  might,  for  a  stipulated  sum,  pro 
mise  to  do  this,  and  would  lead  an  armed  band 
hither  and  thither  until  night  came,  and  the  whole 
party  were  worn  out ;  then  quietly  slip  away  on 
some  path  known  only  to  himself  to  laugh  with  his 
comrades,  while  the  duped  officers  were  left  to 
enjoy  their  chagrin  at  defeat. 

Vigilance-committees  were  organized  to  take  the 
law  into  their  own  hands.  But  little  has  been 

9 


106  LOUISIANIANS. 

accomplished  thus  far.  The  Arizonians  still  ply 
their  trade,  and  stand  as  faithfully  by  each  other 
as  ever  did  Spanish  bandits  or  Italian  highway 
men. 

This  account  of  the  Arizonians  is  literally  true  ; 
and  I  am  willing  to  assert,  that  it  is  an  anomaly 
in  American  society,  which  is  possible  only  in  the 
South.  Nor  is  it  possible  there,  because  it  is  an 
agricultural  region ;  and  because,  therefore,  the 
means  of  education  are  limited.  So  is  the  West 
agricultural;  and  yet  it  is  impossible  to  suppose 
the  existence  of  such  a  society  in  Northern  Indi 
ana  or  in  Wisconsin.  It  could  exist  only  among  a 
people  who  have  failed  to  erect  a  standard  of  right, 
and  whose  public  opinion  is  not  moral  or  high- 
toned. 

There  is  a  little  colony  of  this  same  class  of  peo 
ple  at  the  Pass,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
They  are  among  the  most  ignorant,  debased,  and 
vile  set  of  men  to  be  found  on  the  earth.  The 
other  day,  one  of  my  friends,  a  Northern  man, 
whose  vessel  was  detained  for  some  time  at  the  Pass 
by  stress  of  weather,  conceived  the  benevolent  de 
sign  of  speaking  to  these  people  upon  the  subject 
of  religion.  I  should  shock  my  readers,  were  I  to 
attempt  to  describe  the  perfect  mental  and  spiritual 
desolation  which  existed  among  these  people.  Still, 
one  anecdote  must  not  be  lost.  After  my  friend 


LOUISIANIANS.  107 

had  talked  with  a  number  of  stragglers,  he  entered 
one  of  the  low  huts,  and  began  to  converse  with 
the  ancient  dame.  Soon  four  sons  came  in,  and 
joined  in  the  conversation ;  then  the  old  man,  the 
patriarch.  He  was  the  only  one  who  made  any 
pretensions  to  know  any  thing  of  God  or  duty. 

My  friend  spoke  of  the  Lord.  He  told  of  his 
sufferings,  and  at  last  exclaimed,  — 

"  And  it  was  he,  the  dear  Son  of  God,  you  know, 
who  died  that  we  all  might  live." 

The  family  all  stared.  The  patriarch  alone 
failed  to  be  startled.  Leaning  forward,  and  put 
ting  his  right  hand  behind  his  right  ear  to  enable 
him  to  catch  every  sound,  he  cried  out,  — 

"  Mister !  did  you  say  it  was  the  Son  of  God  who 
died?" 

"  Yes,  my  friend  ;  and  Jie  died  on  the  cross." 

"  You  are  sure  it  was  the  Son  ?  " 

"  Yes.     Why  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothin' !  only  I  allers  thought  it  was  the 
old  man ! " 

This  anecdote  is  sacrilegious ;  but  it  bespeaks  a 
degree  of  moral  depravity  and  of  woful  ignorance 
such  as  can  be  found  in  only  two  places,  —  in  the 
South  and  in  Central  Africa. 

All  the  Creoles  in  the  State,  who  are  worth  less 
than  twenty  thousand  dollars,  desire  the  success  of 
the  Northern  arms.  They  were  carried  into  the 


108  LOUISIANIANS. 

war  per  force,  and  it  has  only  ruined  them.  Their 
sons  have  been  conscripted,  and  are  deserting 
every  day ;  hoping  for  nothing  so  much  as  to  get 
back  to  the  quietness  of  the  farm.  They  will  tell 
you  plainly,  that  the  war  is  for  the  protection  of  the 
rich  planters,  and  that  they  are  unwilling  to  risk 
their  lives  in  any  such  cause.  To  prove  this,  we 
have  but  to  look  at  a  few  facts.  It  is  beyond 
question,  that  when  the  matter  of  secession  was 
discussed,  and  the  people  of  Louisiana  were  ap 
pealed  to,  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  her  illustrious 
sister,  South  Carolina,  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
delegates  were  sent  to  the  State  Convention  •  and, 
of  that  number,  a  very  large  majority  had  pledged 
themselves  to  the  people  to  vote  for  a  continuance 
in  the  Union.  They  were  sent  for  that  special 
purpose.  This  is  sufficient  to  show  how  the  body 
of  voters  felt  at  that  critical  moment.  Again :  when 
the  first  vote  was  taken  in  the  State  Convention, 
it  resulted  as  the  people  desired  it  should,  and 
greatly  to  the  chagrin  of  that  nondescript  biped 
known  as  a  "  lobbyist."  The  bipeds  were  not, 
however,  discouraged.  They  knew  with  whom 
they  had  to  deal.  One  after  another,  the  delegates 
began  to  see  the  other  side ;  and  the  loyalists  were 
evidently  losing'  ground.  Money,  promises,  and 
threats  were  doing  their  work  ;  and  yet,  when 
the  vote  was  taken,  which  was  expected  to  be 


LOUISIANIANS.  109 

final,  and  when  the  New-Orleans  editors  were  so 
sure  of  the  result  that  they  announced  the  passage 
of  the  act  of  secession  by  an  overwhelming  majo 
rity,  and  the  people  were  in  consternation,  at  that 
very  time  the  real  vote  stood  three  majority  in 
favor  of  the  Union.  It  took  the  lobbyists  some 
three  weeks  to  buy  the  requisite  number  of  votes 
to  put  the  matter  beyond  reasonable  question. 
This  is  the  way  Louisiana  went  out  of  the  Union. 
It  was  only  by  a  long  pull,  a  strong  pull,  and  a  pull 
altogether,  on  the  part  of  the  slave-owners  and 
their  pimps,  against  the  feelings,  the  sense  of  jus 
tice,  and  the  patriotism  of  the  people. 

After  that,  they  held  meetings  in  every  village, 
and  succeeded  by  fables  and  lies  in  imbittering 
the  mind  of  the  poorer  classes  against  the  North. 
Had  there  been  a  middle  estate,  firm,  independent, 
thoughtful,  "  who  knew  their  rights,  and,  knowing, 
dared  maintain,"  as  there  is  in  the  North,  Louisi 
ana  would  to-day  be  true  and  loyal ;  but  because 
slavery  allows  no  middle  estate,  and  has  precluded 
the  possibility  of  popular  education,  the  credulous 
people  have  been  utterly  ruined. 

I  will  venture  to  say,  that  of  the  fifty-six  hun 
dred  who  answered  to  their  names  at  roll-call  at 
Berwick's  Bay,  when  our  forces  chased  the  enemy 
into  Texas,  more  than  one  thousand  fell  behind 
their  column  on  the  march  to  Opelousas  for  the 


110  LOUISIANIANS. 

sole  purpose  of  being  taken.  They  were  mostly 
conscripts,  and  joined  the  army  with  the  intention 
of  deserting  at  the  first  opportunity.  I  had  a  long 
chat  with  many  a  squad  that  had  been  sent  to  the 
rear ;  and  they  told  me  that  they  were  sick  and 
tired  of  the  army,  and  that  they  were  glad  to  be 
taken,  because  they  could  go  back  to  their  families 
and  farms. 

"  Yes ;  but,  boys,  haven't  you  any  patriotism  ? 
Aren't  you  willing  to  fight  for  the  glorious  South?" 

"  We  are  not  fighting  for  the  South.  We  have 
never  been  disturbed.  We  always  got  along  well 
enough.  The  truth  is,  we  are  all  fighting  for  the 
rich  planters,  and  not  for  ourselves." 

"  Yes,"  said  another,  "  we  are  fighting  for 
the  niggers  ;  and  their  masters  hire  them  to  the 
Government,  to  work  on  trenches,  for  eighteen  dol 
lars  a  month ;  while  we  sleep  out  of  doors,  and  get 
nothing  to  eat,  and  clothe  ourselves,  for  eleven 
dollars." 

"  They  are  terribly  afraid  a  nigger  will  get 
killed,"  said  another ;  "  and  then  they  lose  "their 
money.  When  there  is  prospect  of  a  fight,  they 
take  all  the  niggers  off  out  of  harm's  way :  but 
they  don't  care  for  us ;  we  didn't  cost  any  thing. 
So,  for  one,  I  am  going  to  care  for  myself.  I  only 
hope  the  Yankees  will  kill  every  planter  in  the 
State.  Then  we  shall  have  peace." 


LOUISIANIANS.  Ill 

I  never  expected  to  hear  one  native-born  in 
the  South  say  that  this  Rebellion  is  simply  due  to 
slaveholders  and  politicians. 

Many  of  these  men  have  taken  up  arms  on  our 
side,  and  thus  proved  the  truth  of  my  criticism. 
There  are,  I  believe,  four  regiments  made  up  of 
those  who  have,  in  some  way  or  other,  been  perse 
cuted  by  the  South.  They  consist  of  poor  Creoles, 
generally  deserters,  and  Spanish,  French,  and  Ger 
man  citizens,  many  of  whom  took  to  the  woods, 
and  lived  there  for  weeks,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
conscription  act.  These  form  an  important  portion 
of  the  troops  in  the  department,  and  deserve  par 
ticular  mention.  They  are  the  most  savage-looking 
set  of  men  I  ever  laid  eyes  on.  Their  morale  is,  of 
course,  very  low ;  but,  with  strict  discipline,  they 
will  make  splendid  soldiers.  They  are  just  such 
men  as  compose  the  regular  army,  —  persons  who 
are  desperate,  and  who  have  been  urged  by  some 
unusual  fortune  to  this  step.  In  the  slight  ser 
vices  which  they  have  as  yet  been  called  upon  to 
perform,  they  have  shown  great  promptness  and 
willingness. 

The  First  Louisiana  particularly  attracted  my 
attention.  Twenty-seven  different  nationalities  are 
represented  in  it.  Every  spot  on  the  globe,  from 
China  to  Peru,  seems  to  have  sent  its  quota  to  fill 
up  the  ranks. 


112  LOUISIANIANS. 

Here  is  the  poor  Chinaman,  with  his  half-moon 
eyes,  a  contented  body,  into  whose  mind  the  idea 
of  preferment  never  comes.  Here,  again,  is  the 
sharp  Jew,  who  has  travelled  over  the  whole  of 
Europe,  and  will  talk  to  you  in  any  one  of  a  dozen 
languages ;  or,  if  you  prefer,  he  is  ready  to  barter 
with  you  for  your  uniform.  There,  standing  against 
the  tree,  is  a  tall,  stalwart  Hungarian.  His  bushy 
beard  covers  his  face;  but  it  is  rumored  that  he  has 
been  through  a  dozen  battles  already,  and  knows 
enough  of  military  science  to  command  a  regi 
ment  :  still  he  is  only  a  corporal.  There,  again,  is 
a  rough  Teuton,  who,  like  Nelson,  does  not  know 
who  Fear  is.  A  dozen  like  him  have  been  mounted ; 
and,  when  there  is  any  scouting  to  be  done,  they 
are  always  ready.  Yonder,  again,  pounding  in  the 
mortar  with  his  big  pestle,  is  a  tough,  wiry  little 
fellow,  with  nothing  about  him  that  would  attract 
attention  ;  yet  I  am  told  that  he  carries  "  Euripi 
des  "  in  his  pocket  as  a  vade-mecum,  and  that  he  is 
thoroughly  posted  in  all  the  branches  of  medical 
science.  These  men  have  been  through  strange 
experiences  j  and  could  you  sit  by  the  side  of  each 
for  an  hour,  when  the  right  mood  was  on  him, 
he  could  tell  you  stories  more  like  fiction  than 
reality. 

The  regiment  is  a  queer  conglomerate.  There 
are  those  who  doubt  their  value  as  troops  on  the 


LOUISIANIANS.  113 

field ;  but  their  officers  place  great  trust  in  them. 
It  may  be  that  few  of  them  are  fired  with  as  warm 
enthusiasm  for  the  cause  as  Northern  soldiers : 
still  they  all  meet  on  one  platform,  —  implacable 
hatred  of  the  rebels.  It  is  a  feeling  which  arises 
greatly  from  the  fact,  that  they  have  suffered  im 
pressment  ;  which  has  been  increased  by  the  other 
fact,  of  desertion.  It  resembles,  in  many  respects, 
the  old  feeling  between  the  Jacobins  and  the  Loy 
alists  in  France.  They  have  been  kept  down  by 
the  usages  of  society.  They  have  chafed  at  it; 
and  now  the  chance  is  offered,  not  only  of  success 
ful  resistance,  but  also  of  revenge.  My  own  feel 
ing  is,  that  they  will  fight  like  tigers ;  that  they 
will  commit  any  depredation,  and  every  conceivable 
one,  on  the  foe. 

On  the  whole,  I  was  not  much  affected  by  that 
awe  with  which  we  are  told  by  many  to  approach 
the  gentleman  of  the  South.  I  have  spent  months 
upon  the  plantations  of  the  State,  and  have  met  the 
planters,  very  many  of  them,  on  friendly  terms,  in 
the  midst  of  their  own  households  ;  and  I  confess 
to  great  disappointment.  I  am  willing  to  aver  as 
the  result  of  my  experience,  that  there  is  no  class 
of  society  in  the  South  which  is  equal  in  its  cul 
ture,  its  refinement  of  manner  and  of  taste,  and  its 
enjoyment  of  life,  to  the  same  class  in  the  North. 
After  the  immense  number  of  traditions  which 


114  LOUISIANIANS. 

have  been  handed  down  to  us,  each  lauding  the 
Southerner  as  a  perfect  Chesterfield  in  outward 
demeanor,  and  a  prodigal  in  his  open-handed  gene 
rosity,  I  may  seem  somewhat  rash  in  making  this 
statement.  I  can  only  say,  that  if  you  will  ap 
proach  the  idol,  and  examine  closely,  you  will  find 
that  the  marble  look  is  but  varnish  after  all,  and  that 
the  thing  is  made  of  common  wood. 

I  will  say  further,  that  the  planters  of  the  South 
are  not  equal  as  a  body,  from  any  point  of  view,  to 
the  well-to-do  merchants  of  the  North.  I  know  that 
such  a  statement  is  rank  heresy.  From  our  child 
hood,  we  have  been  taught  to  think  differently.  I 
remember,  that,  years  ago,  this  matter  puzzled  me. 
I  put  in  the  one  scale  all  the  a  priori  arguments  I 
could  collect,  —  that  a  society,  in  which  the  indivi 
duals  were  each  insulated,  must,  logically,  degene 
rate  ;  that  it  is  not  favorable  to  literature,  religion, 
or  manliness ;  and,  in  the  other  scale,  I  placed  this 
weighty  public  opinion.  The  former  always  kicked 
the  beam.  But  now  I  know  that  my  logic  was  cor 
rect,  and  that  the  world's  rhetoric  was  false. 

Indeed,  why  should  this  not  be  true  ?  There  is 
not  the  same  rivalry  in  the  South  that  there  is  with 
us.  The  influence  of  the  whole  life  and  of  all  the 
surroundings  of  the  planter  is  to  dull  him,  to  warp 
his  judgment,  to  make  him  selfish.  He  lives  in  and 
on  himself.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Northerner, 


LOUISIANIANS.  115 

coming  in  daily  contact  with  men  engaged  in  con 
stant  rivalries  with  him,  becomes  not  simply  self- 
reliant  and  prejudiced,  as  the  Southerner  does,  who 
lives  in  necessary  solitude,  but  self-reliant  and 
generous.  He  is  well  posted  on  all  matters.  He 
reads,  thinks,  and  talks  a  great  deal. 

Here  is  another  side  of  the  Southern  character, 
which  was  exposed  by  my  intimate  relations  with 
the  planters.  I  have  always  been  led  to  suppose 
that  the  Yankee  is  peculiar,  in  that  he  will  sacrifice 
more  for  a  silver  dollar  than  any  other  biped  of  the 
genus  homo.  In  strong  contrast  stands  the  open- 
handed  and  large-hearted  Southerner.  "  There  is 
nothing  small  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line/' 
says  the  copperhead.  So  the  shrivelled  Yankee 
stands  opposite  the  chivalrous  Southerner ;  the  one 
giving  a  three-cent  piece,  the  other  a  bright  eagle, 
to  the  poor  beggar-girl. 

I  do  not  doubt  that  the  Southerner  spends  an 
eagle  to  every  three-cent  piece  which  the  Yankee 
expends  in  the  cause  of  street-girls  ;  though  the 
gift  is  hardly  one  that  would  be  sanctioned  by 
the  Church.  But,  in  real  generosity,  the  South 
erner  is  far  behind  the  Northerner.  The  South  has 
acquired  a  reputation  for  a  reckless  carelessness  of 
money ;  but  it  is  all  built  on  the  fact,  that  the  peo 
ple  never  take  any  change  for  a  picayune.  There 
is  a  certain  devil-may-care  way  about  them,  which 


116  LOUISIANIANS. 

gives  you  the  impression  that  they  never  saw  any 
thing  so  small  as  a  one-dollar  bill.  They  are  always 
turning  criticism  away  from  themselves  by  letting 
their  wit  and  sarcasm  fly  at  honest  Northerners. 
Once  a  year,  they  gather  together  all  their  new 
clothes  and  all  their  jewelry,  and  take  some  North 
ern  hotel  by  assault;  run  up  large  bills  for  car 
riages  and  wine ;  throw  down  a  quarter  for  a  ten- 
cent  cigar;  and,  when  the  counter-jumper  offers 
the  change,  turn  up  their  noses,  as  though  it  was 
a  vulgar  habit  to  take  change  for  any  thing.  That 
is  the  way  they  get  their  reputation.  But  look  in 
on  them  during  the  rest  of  the  year.  For  nine 
months,  a  planter  is  on  his  plantation.  The  nearest 
neighbor  is  from  two  to  five  miles  distant.  He  has 
only  the  tame  excitement  which  a  farmer's  life 
allows.  He  has  three  hundred  negroes.  He  gives 
them,  for  a  house,  a  hut,  which  no  man  can  live  in 
two  years,  without  becoming  thoroughly  demoral 
ized.  He  gives  them,  for  food,  so  many  ears  of  corn, 
which  they  are  to  shell,  and  pound  into  meal,  in  a 
mortar  made  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  hollowed  out ; 
and  so  many  pounds  of  bacon,  so  hard  that  a  re 
spectable  dog  would  refuse  to  eat  it.  These  negroes 
are  owned  —  I  use  the  word  in  its  broadest  sense, 
as  the  proportion  of  mulattoes  on  every  planta 
tion  abundantly  proves  —  by  the  master,  who  can, 
when  the  caprice  moves  him,  or  when  he  gets  up 


LOUISIANIANS.  117 

of  a  morning  out  of  temper  through  the  last  night's 
wine,  give  them  fifty  or  a  hundred  lashes.  They 
work  from  early  morning  to  late  evening,  and 
hardly  ever  get  any  pay  for  service  rendered.  The 
master  makes  the  first  outlay  for  his  hands.  After 
that,  their  cost  is  merely  nominal.  I  never  yet 
have  seen  a  field-hand  who  was  not  in  rags,  and  I 
have  seen  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand :  so  the 
cost  of  clothing  cannot  be  much.  Now,  I  would 
like  to  know  where  the  chivalry,  high-mindedness, 
and  other  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  which  are 
claimed  for  Southerners,  are  to  be  discovered.  So 
far  as  my  experience  goes,  —  and  it  is  abundantly 
corroborated  by  the  testimony  of  the  provost-mar 
shals  of  every  parish  between  Fort  Jackson  and 
Baton  Rouge,  —  a  more  shrewd  and  grasping  po 
pulation  cannot  be  found  anywhere.  To  be  sure, 
there  are  honorable  exceptions.  The  South  pro 
duces  many  polished  gentlemen ;  but  when  it  is 
asserted,  as  it  has  been  by  Vice-President  Stephens, 
that  the  Southerners  are  a  race  of  gentlemen,  I 
mast  confess,  that,  if  it  is  so,  the  planters  of  Loui 
siana  and  the  prisoners  which  have  been  taken 
have  become  greatly  demoralized  since  1861. 

If  they  were  really  a  generous,  chivalrous,  and 
patriotic  people,  fighting  only  for  the  sacred  cause 
of  liberty,  instead  of  a  fanatical  people,  completely 
demoralized  by  their  social  institutions,  would  it  be 


118  LOUISIANIANS. 

possible  for  them  to  adopt  such  measures  as  they 
have  adopted  towards  unoffending  Union  citizens  ? 
I  can  conceive  of  a  populace  completely  thrilled  by 
a  single  purpose,  who  should  frown  out  of  sight, 
or  at  least  into  deep  silence,  all  who  opposed 
their  purpose ;  I  can  conceive  of  the  swelling 
tide  of  secessionism  pouring  through  the  streets, 
and  compelling  every  Union  man  to  keep  within 
doors  :  but  it  is  beyond  belief,  that  any  people, 
not  demoralized,  should  use  means  so  barba 
rous  to  rid  themselves  of  obnoxious  individuals. 
Only  in  a  community  where  the  moral  standard 
indicates  zero  can  such  outrages  be  committed 
as  those  which  have  been  well  authenticated. 
Secessionism  seems  simply  to  have  given  license 
to  all  the  hitherto-restrained  passions  of  society ; 
to  have  crazed  sober-minded  men ;  and  to  have 
turned  the  community  so  completely  upside-down, 
that  it  has  lost  its  balance  :  and  its  history  is 
being  written  by  its  ruffians,  its  wild,  untamed 
hoosiers,  rather  than  by  its  heroes  and  sages. 
There  are  scenes,  which  are  undoubted,  so  dis 
graceful,  that  they  stamp  with  infamy  any  commu 
nity  wherein  they  have  occurred.  I  know,  that,  in 
times  of  revolution,  one  ought  not  to  expect  the 
same  restraint  which  is  the  best  blessing  of  peace. 
I  know,  that,  in  the  last  century,  there  were  scenes 
enacted  which  will  never  reflect  honor  upon  us. 


LOUISIANIANS.  119 

Ruffians  were  not  wanting,  who  used  the  con 
fusion  of  the  times  as  a  cover  for  their  own  evil 
practices.  But  we  all  know  the  severity  which 
Burr  in  Westchester  visited  upon  these  scoun 
drels  ;  and  yet  their  crime  consisted  only  in  break 
ing  open  private  houses,  and  robbing  the  inmates. 
It  was  robbery,  whose  incentive  was  simply  a  thirst 
for  gain. 

In  the  present  case,  the  act  is  different,  as  is  also 
the  motive.  It  is  not  the  simple  plunder  of  private 
property  which  entails  such  disgrace  on  the  South 
ern  cause :  it  is  the  brutal,  yes,  fiendish  treatment 
of  old  men,  and  even  of  women  ^and  children. 
Scenes  have  been  enacted  in  some  of  the  Southern 
States,  which  would  have  called  a  blush  to  the 
faces  of  the  French  populace  in  1789.  Is  it  thus, 
I  ask,  that  the  chivalry  show  their  love  of  inde 
pendence  ?  Are  they  not  satisfied  with  the  common 
excitements  of  camp-life,  that  they  must  ferret  out 
like  bloodhounds  the  old  man  who  spent  his  youth 
with  the  giants  of  the  glorious  past,  and  who  dares 
to  speak  his  mind  to  the  pygmies  of  the  inglorious 
present  ?  Are  there  not  Yankees  enough  to  kill, 
that  -they  must  satisfy  their  thirst  for  blood  by  tor 
turing  women  and  children  ?  Is  it  patriotism,  is  it 
loyalty  to  any  thing  but  the  infernal  institution, 
which  prompts  them  to  such  valorous  deeds  ? 
There  is  a  spitefulness,  a  rancor,  a  thirst  for  ven- 


120  LOUISIANIANS. 

geance,  in  the  Southern  heart,  which  is  very  hard 
to  account  for. 

I  had  occasion,  in  January  last,  to  visit  some 
hundred  or  more  Texans,  who  had  succeeded  in 
escaping  to  our  lines.  Most  of  them  were  from 
Houston  or  Austin,  owners  of  cattle  and  farms. 

"  Why  did  you  not  remain  quietly  at  home  ?  "  I 
said  to  one  of  them. 

"  Because  the  rebels  burned  down  our  houses, 
and  threatened  to  hang  us  if  we  did  not  leave 
within  four  and  twenty  hours." 

"  But  they  would  not  have  hung  you." 

One  of  them,  a  bright  youth,  stepped  up  to  me, 
and  said  with  quivering  lips, — 

"  They  did  hang  my  old  father ;  and  I  was  com 
pelled  to  look  on,  and  see  it  done." 

I  have  never  seen  men  more  incensed.  They 
had  lost  every  cent  of  their  property,  brought  with 
them  only  what  they  stood  in,  led  their  wives  hun 
dreds  of  miles  through  by-woods  and  swamps, 
and  only  asked  to  be  led  back  in  force.  Their 
cheeks  burned ;  for  each  had  his  separate  tale  of 
persecution.  Their  lips  quivered ;  and,  as  they 
cursed  the  secessionists,  their  oaths  seemed  to 
come  up  from  the  core  of  their  hearts. 

A  dozen  men  in  a  village  meet  in  a  convenient 
bar-room,  and  constitute  themselves  a  vigilance- 
committee.  After  having  filled  themselves  with 


LOUISIANIANS.  121 

whiskey,  they  sally  forth  to  the  house  of  some  un 
fortunate  victim.  Him  they  find  in  the  midst  of 
his  family.  They  enter,  and  proceed  on  their  un 
hallowed  mission.  The  father  is,  perhaps,  brutally 
shot  in  the  presence  of  his  wife  and  little  ones. 
His  wife  and  daughters  are  polluted  by  the  touch  of 
these  fiends,  and  can  never  hold  up  their  heads  in 
honor  again.  They  are  turned  from  their  own 
doors,  and  look  back  from  the  neighboring  hill 
upon  the  fiery  scene  of  desolation  and  the  grave 
of  a  husband  and  a  father.  What,  I  ask,  will  the 
future  historian  say  of  such  things?  He  cannot 
blind  himself  to  them.  They  are  not  scattered  so 
far  apart  that  he  can  ignore  them:  they  cluster 
about  the  villages  of  every  State,  —  lurid  flames  of 
crime.  And  what  can  we  say  of  the  people  in 
whose  midst  such  things  are  tolerated  ?  Could  they 
happen  in  any  one  of  the  Free  States  ?  Not  even 
the  excess  of  ruffianism  which  swept  through  Kan 
sas  could  rouse  the  free  part  of  that  State  to  such 
infamous  deeds.  The  glory  belongs  to  the  South 
alone.  It  is  only  the  chivalry,  when  waging  war  to 
defend  an  institution  which  has  completely  demoral 
ized  and  ruined  them,  who  can  quench  all  pity,  and 
all  pure  love  of  woman,  and  call  that  patriotism 
which  others  call  infamy. 

One  of  those  atrocities,  which  serve  as  thermo 
meters  to  show  that  the  moral  mercury  is  far  out 

10 


122  LOUISIANIANS. 

of  sight  and  below  the  freezing-point,  was  com 
mitted  almost  in  our  very  presence.  Col.  Dwight 
had  been  sent  from  Opelousas,  where  the  main 
body  of  the  army  had  bivouacked,  to  Washington, 
some  six  miles  beyond.  We  had  met  with  no 
resistance.  The  inhabitants,  quietly  though  sul 
lenly,  submitted  to  the  Federal  triumph.  It 
became  necessary  to  send  a  messenger  from  head 
quarters  to  communicate  with  the  general.  Capt. 
Dwight,  a  young  man  of  great  promise,  of  quiet 
dignity  of  character,  and  of  sterling  integrity,  was 
chosen  for  the  task.  It  should  have  been  a  task 
attended  with  no  danger  whatever.  The  country 
through  which  he  was  to  travel  —  and  there  was 
but  the  high-road  to  ride  in  —  would,  under  ordi 
nary  circumstances  and  among  a  civilized  people, 
be  as  safe  as  the  turnpike  from  Boston  to  Brook- 
line.  So  little  did  he  apprehend  danger,  that  he 
took  no  weapon  whatever.  He  had  advanced 
about  half-way,  when  he  struck  some  woods,  and 
was  hurrying  on,  when  three  men  appeared  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  and  commanded  a  "  halt." 
Eeining  up  his  horse,  he  demanded  their  business. 
They  gave  some  insolent  reply ;  when  he  saw  the 
predicament  he  was  in,  and,  supposing  that  he  had 
fallen  into  an  ambush,  said  quietly,  — 

"  Well,  I  have  no  means  of  defending  myself,  and 
must  yield  as  your  prisoner ; "  at  the  same  time, 
alighting  from  his  horse. 


LOUISIANIANS.  123 

"  We  don't  take  any  prisoners.  Kill  the  damned 
Yankee  !  "  was  the  reply. 

At  this,  one  of  the  ruffians  drew  a  pistol,  and 
shot  Dwight  in  the  leg;  then  another  fired,  killing 
him  instantly.  It  was  a  brutal,  ruffianly,  unjustifia 
ble  murder.  It  was  done  in  cold  blood,  and  by 
men  who  knew  what  they  were  about.  It  was  an 
act  that  is  possible  only  in  a  community  whence 
manliness  and  all  the  chivalry  have  long  since  fled, 
and  only  the  most  debased  passions  have  supplied 
their  place  ;  and  yet  •  this  is  not  an  insulated  in 
stance  of  cruelty.  They  are  scattered  all  along 
the  bloody  track  of  this  war.  They  are  omnipo 
tent  witnesses  against  Southern  society.  They 
tell  us  that  the  war  has  not  come  an  hour  too  soon. 
Reform  is  needed  ;  and  the  war  is  the  besom 
which  is  to  sweep  the  filth  from  the  Southern 
house. 

Every  thing  that  I  have  seen  makes  me  sure 
that  the  cause  of  the  North  will  triumph.  It  is 
the  cause  of  God  and  of  mankind.  There  is  inhe 
rent  in  Southern  society,  and  in  the  machinery  in 
motion  to  accomplish  the  desired  result,  the  pro 
phecy  of  failure.  No  people  ever  disturbed  a 
nation  with  so  little  cause.  No  people  ever  re 
sorted  to  so  many  artifices  to  support  their  alleged 
rights.  I  feel  hopeful  that  the  beginning  of  the 
end  is  at  hand.  The  Confederacy  is  pretty  well 


124  LOUISIANIANS. 

worn  out.  It  is  now  clearly  enough  proved  that 
the  heart  of  the  people  is  being  gradually  loosened 
from  the  influence  of  the  large  land-owners  and 
the  politicians,  and  will  be  ready  in  good  time  to 
open  itself  to  a  holier  reverence  for  the  old  flag, 
outside  whose  benignant  shadow  it  has  never 
known  peace  or  joy. 

Let  but  the  North  be  still  a  unit,  a  magnificent 
unit  j  let  it  be  patient  a  little  longer ;  let  it  keep 
up  its  faith  in  the  Providence  that  is  leading  us 
through  this  struggle  ;  let  it  demand  that  all  its 
ministers  of  vengeance  shall  act  with  promptness 
and  energy,  not  seeking  to  conciliate,  but  deter 
mined  to  conquer;  let  it  pour  out  its  wealth  a 
little  longer,  and  tell  its  sons  to  tarry  yet  a  little 
while  on  the  bloody  field;  let,  in  one  word,  the 
whole  North  act  with  decision,  and  a  firm,  unwa 
vering  belief  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  republic 
anism,  —  and  the  clouds  will  be  sure  to  roll  away  ; 
the  good  old  flag,  the  flag  of  Washington  and  of 
liberty,  covered  with  powder  and  glory,  will  wave 
proudly  over  a  people  who  have  been  tried  with 
fire  and  the  sword,  and  found  faithful. 


THE   NEGRO.  125 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE   NEGRO. 

AFTER  a  long  day's  hard  riding  over  a  road 
made  infinitely  dusty  by  an  intermina 
ble  wagon -train,  I  came  upon  a  house  which 
seemed  to  promise  a  good  night's  rest  for  man 
and  beast.  I  was  hungry  as  well  as  tired ;  and 
though  I  indulged  in  the  faint  hope  of  fresh  meat 
and  flour-bread,  and  a  cup  of  real  Mocha,  instead 
of  that  wretched  counterfeit  made  out  of  burnt 
sugar,  in  which  the  members  of  the  Confederacy 
so  largely  indulge  since  the  blockade,  I  neverthe 
less  was  morally  certain  that  I  should  have  to 
make  myself  contented  with  a  slice  of  hard  ham, 
and  a  square  of  the  inevitable  corn-cake  which 
has  been  the  staff  of  life  to  the  rebels  ever  since 
the  blockade.  I  (when  I  say  "  I,"  I  mean  we  ; 
for  my  friend  Wheelock  shared  these  luminous 
experiences)  knocked  at  the  large  front-door ;  and 
was  very  soon  confronted  by  the  mistress,  to  whom 
the  frequent  question  was  put,  — 

"  Madam,  may  we  trespass  on  your  hospitality 
for  the  night?" 


126  THE   NEGRO. 

The  "  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  came  out  very  reluc 
tantly,  and  showed  plainly  enough  the  proclivities 
of  the  landlady. 

There  was,  however,  no  hesitancy  on  our  part 
to  accept  such  coldly  given  succor  :  for  we  knew, 
that,  only  the  week  before,  the  same  house  had 
been  the  favorite  rendezvous  for  rebel  officers  ;  and 
felt  that  what  had  been  given  to  the  red,  white, 
and  red,  was  due  to  the  red,  white,  and  blue.  She 
was  alone,  of  course  ;  and,  had  I  been  three  months 
younger,  I  should  have  pitied  her  forlorn  and  seem 
ingly  widowed  condition,  and  checked  the  exodus 
of  chickens,  geese,  and  turkeys  from  her  barnyard, 
which  threatened  soon  to  leave  her  destitute  of 
these  valuable  domestic  songsters.  But  the  last 
three  months  had  added  largely  to  my  experience, 
as  well  as  something  to  my  age  ;  and,  knowing  well 
the  occasion  of  her  temporary  widowhood,  I  could 
find  in  my  heart  no  spark  of  pity.  Her  husband, 
a  Northern  recreant,  had,  a  few  days  before, 
gathered  together  his  best  hands  (the  young, 
strong-limbed  men),  his  finest  horses,  and  all  his 
mules,  and  started  for  the  prairie  near  Alexandria, 
whose  soil  the  foot  of  the  Yankee,  he  thought, 
would  never  desecrate. 

We  found  in  the  Tcche  a  large  number  of  wi 
dows  of  this  description.  The  husbands,  sure  that 
they  would  find  no  security  in  the  presence  of  the 


THE    NEGRO.  127 

Union  forces,  left  their  wives  and  children  to  the 
mercy  of  the  invading  army,  while  they  themselves 
sought  a  safe  asylum,  with  whatever  valuable  porta 
bles  they  could  take  with  them,  within  the  Confe- 
fe derate  lines. 

We  promised  to  keep  the  house  of  our  unwilling 
hostess  free  from  stragglers  during  our  stay,  —  for 
which  favor  she  seemed  very  thankful,  as  this  gor 
mandizing  rear -guard  of  the  army  had 'spread 
terror  in  every  kitchen  of  any  promise  whatever, — • 
and  then  retired  to  our  rooms  for  rest  and 
sleep. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  weariness  too  great 
for  sleep ;  and,  after  tumbling  over  my  bed  rest 
lessly  for  an  hour,  I  got  up,  impelled  by  despera 
tion,  and  began  fumbling  over  the  few  books  in 
the  room  for  something  to  read.  I  knew,  that  if  I 
could  find  something  that  would  interest  me,  and 
thus  compel  me  to  concentrate  my  thoughts,  —  for, 
when  one  is  overworn,  he  seems  to  lose  all  control 
over  his  mind,  which  plays  leap-frog  with  every 
conceivable  fancy,  and  wanders  restlessly  through 
every  zone  of  Fairy-land,  —  I  should  soon  reach  my 
goal  of  sleep. 

For  a  while,  I  was  unsuccessful.  Only  some 
remarkable  piece  of  literature  could  effect  the 
object  in  view  ;  and,  after  hopelessly  turning  over 
the  commonplace  pages  of  a  dozen  books,  I  took 


128  THE   NEGRO. 

up  a  straggling  but  providential  number  of  De 
Bow's  "  Review/''  which  lay  dusty  and  dog-eared 
under  a  pile  of  old  secesh  newspapers.  The  first 
article  attracted  my  notice ;  and  I  inwardly  cried, 
"  Eureka  !  "  The  longed-for  sedative  was  found  at 
last.  It  was  so  remarkable  a  paper,  that  I  de 
voured  it  with  a  mental  greediness  which  surprised 
even  myself;  and,  when  I  got  to  the  end,  I  felt 
that  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  die.  I  determined, 
first  of  all,  to  sleep  on  my  discovery,  and  so  placed 
the  volume  carefully  under  my  pillow  ;  and,  second, 
to  perform  a  labor  of  love  towards  the  author,  and 
present  it,  at  least  in  part,  to  my  friends  of  the 
North. 

It  appears,  from  a  note  which  is  prefixed  to  the 
paper,  that  certain  gentlemen  of  Mississippi  were 
desirous  of  ascertaining  the  opinion  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  A.  Cartwright  of  New  Orleans  on  the 
mooted  question  of  the  unity  of  the  races.  Flat 
tered,  no  doubt,  by  their  kind  attentions,  the 
reverend  gentleman,  who  was  probably  a  slave 
owner,  or  whose  wealthiest  parishioners  were  such, 
retired  to  his  study,  and  in  due  time  emerged  with 
this  very  carefully  prepared  document,  purporting 
to  settle  this  vexed  ethnological  question  for  the 
planters  of  the  South.  Being  a  little  timid  by 
nature,  he  seemed  unwilling  to  base  his  arguments 
upon  facts  of  character  and  anatomy,  but  dis 
coursed  thus :  — 


THE   NEGRO.  129 

"  Let  us,  therefore,  abandon  the  slow,  uncertain, 
and  tortuous  paths  of  proud  science,  and  seek  to 
know  what  God  has  revealed  on  the  subject.  If 
we  take  the  Hebrew  Bible  for  a  guide,  and  faith 
fully  interpret  it,  there  can  be  but  one  opinion  on 
the  question.  That  book  positively  affirms  that 
there  were  at  least  two  races  of  intellectual  crea 
tures,  with  immortal  souls,  created  at  different 
times.  Thus  in  the  twenty-fourth  verse  of  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis :  '  The  Lord  said,  Let 
the  earth  bring  forth  intellectual  creatures  with 
immortal  souls  after  their  kind,  cattle  and  creeping 
thing  and  beast  of  the  earth  after  his  kind ;  and  it 
was  so.7  In  our  English  version,  instead  of  ( intel 
lectual  creatures  with  immortal  souls  J  we  have  only 
the  words  '  living  creatures ,'  as  representing  the 
Hebrew  words  naphesh  chayah.  The  last  word 
means  '  living  creature ; '  and  the  word  napheshj 
which  invests  chayah,  or  living  creature,  with  in 
tellectuality  and  immortality,  is  not  translated  at 
all,  either  in  the  Douay  Bible  or  that  of  King  James. 
But  there  it  stands,  more  durable  than  brass  or 
granite,  inviting  us  to  look  at  the  negro  and  the 
Indian,  and  then  to  look  at  that,  and  we  will  under 
stand  it. 

"  Neither  the  Catholic  nor  the  Protestant  trans 
lators  of  the  Bible  seem  to  have  had  the  negroes 
in  their  mind's  eye  when  they  were  looking  at  the 

11 


130  THE   NEGRO. 

words  napliesli  cliayali ;  or,  if  they  had,  they  took 
for  granted  that  they  were  white  men,  whose  skins 
a  tropical  sun  had  blacked ;  and  hence  omitted  to 
translate  the  words  which  embrace  them.  Missis 
sippi  and  Louisiana  are  half  full  of  negroes,  and  so 
is  the  Hebrew  Bible ;  but  our  English  version  has 
not  got  a  negro  in  it. 

"  The  translators  surely  thought  there  must  be 
some  mistake  in  regard  to  the  intellectuality  and 
immortality  of  any  earthly  beings  created  before 
Adam,  and  hence  omitted  to  express  the  idea  of 
intellectuality  and  immortality  which  the  original 
attached  to  such  beings.  After  the  inferior  races 
or  inferior  napliesli  chayah  were  created,  God  said, 
'  Let  us  make  Adam  (or  a  superior  race  of  napliesli 
cliayali)  in  our  own  image,  and  after  our  likeness, 
and  let  him  have  dominion  over  all  things  on  the 
earth  ; '  including  the  negroes,  of  course.  Chapter 
second,  verse  seventh,  says  that  Adam  '  became  a 
living  soul]  —  became  a  napliesli  chayah.  We  un 
derstand  by  living  soul  a  creature  with  intelligence 
and  immortal  mind.  If  the  same  words  had  been 
translated  in  the  same  way  in  the  twenty-fourth 
verse  of  the  first  chapter,  we  should  have  recog 
nized  two  creations  of  intellectual  and  immortal 
beings  at  different  times ;  but  these  words,  being 
merely  rendered  living  creatures  in  the  twenty- 
fourth  verse,  confounded  the  inferior  napliesli 


THE   NEGRO.  131 

cliayali  with  the  brutes  mentioned  in  the  same 
verse. 

"  Fifty  years  ago,  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  the  learned 
commentator  of  the  Bible,  from  deep  reading  in 
the  Hebrew,  Arabic,  and  Coptic  languages,  was 
forced  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  creature  that  be 
guiled  Eve  was  an  animal  formed  like  man,  walked 
erect,  and  had  the  gifts  of  speech  and  reason.  He 
believed  it  was  an  orang-outang,  and  not  a  serpent. 
If  he  had  lived  in  Louisiana,  instead  of  England,  he 
would  have  recognized  the  negro  gardener.  Eve 
was  a  new-comer,  and  had  evidently  been  ques 
tioning,  out  of  curiosity,  the  gardener,  about  the 
tree  with  the  forbidden  fruit.  The  ophidian  Bi- 
mana  begins  his  reply  to  her  questions  with  an 
exclamation  of  astonishment,  rendered  'Ay '  in  our 
version ;  equivalent  to  'Is  it  possible  ? ?  '  Can  it  be 
that  Elohim  has  said  you  are  not  to  eat  of  every 
tree  in  the  garden  ?  Ye  shall  not  die  ;  but,  in  the 
day  you  eat  thereof,  you  will  be  as  gods,  knowing 
good  and  evil.' 

"  We  are  told  in  the  nineteenth  verse  of  the  sec 
ond  chapter,  that  all  the  creatures  were  brought 
before  Adam  to  receive  names ;  and  that  what  he 
called  every  living  creature,  that  was  the  name 
thereof.  What  these  names  were,  appears  after 
ward.  The  names  he  gave,  very  often  contained 
an  abridged  history  of  the  thing  itself,  shut  up  in 


132  THE   NEGRO. 

the  name,  —  a  sealed  book  to  those  who  did  not 
know  the  thing,  and  intended  so  to  be,  until,  per 
haps,  thousands  of  years'  experience  had  enabled 
man  to  acquire  the  key  of  knowledge  to  unlock 
and  read  the  book. 

"  The  first  one  of  these  names,  enclosing  within 
the  name  or  history  of  the  thing  named,  occurs  in 
the  first  verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  Genesis.  It 
is  Nachash.  That  is  the  name  of  the  creature 
which  beguiled  Eve.  The  history  of  the  creature 
is  enclosed  in  the  name,  under  cover  of  a  bundle 
of  ideas  so  incongruous  and  disconnected  as  not  to 
be  understood,  until,  in  the  revolutions  of  ages, 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  thing  named  had  been 
acquired  by  experience  to  furnish  the  key  to  un 
lock  the  book.  We  see  around  it  the'  serpent,  — 
the  charmed,  the  enchanted,  —  watching  closely, 
prying  into  designs,  muttering  and  babbling  with 
out  meaning,  —  hissing,  whistling,  deceitful,  artful, 
—  fetters,  chains,  —  and  a  verb  formed  from  the 
name,  which  signifies  to  be,  or  to  become,  black. 
Any  good  overseer  would  recognize  the  negro's  pecu 
liarities  in  the  definition  of  Nachash,  and  the  verbs 
connected  with  it,  if  read  to  Mm  from  a  Hebreiv 
lexicon. 

11  The  Bible  tells  certain  facts  about  negroes, 
which  none  but  the  best-informed  planters  and 
overseers  know  at  the  present  day.  The  most 


THE   NEGRO.  133 

learned  divines  are  ignorant  of  them,  not  because 
they  cannot  read  Hebrew,  but  because  they  cannot 
read  Hebrew  re-writ  in  the  negro.  Planters  and 
overseers  read  it  in  the  negroes ;  but  they  don't 
know  that  it  is  Hebrew,  and  that  their  evidence, 
if  they  could  read  Hebrew,  would  prove  in  any 
court  of  justice,  to  the  satisfaction  of  any  jury,  that 
the  writer  of  Genesis  knew  more  about  negroes 
than  they  did. 

"  The  people  of  the  United  States  followed  Adam's 
example  without  knowing  it,  and  got  their  slaves 
from  the  serpent-worshippers.  The  Seventy-two 
who  translated  the  Bible  into  Greek  rendered  the 
word  Nachash  by  Ophiz,  l  a  serpent.7  There  were 
so  many  meanings  to  the  word,  they  were  puzzled 
to  tell  which  to  choose.  Dr.  Clarke  thought  that 
1  orang-outang'  would  have  been  a  better  choice  than 
'  serpent '  for  the  name  of  a  black  creature,  formed 
like  a  man,  with  the  gift  of  speech  and  reason,  a 
great  deal  of  cunning,  yet  playful  and  good-natured, 
walking  erect,  a  sorcerer,  and  a  slave  to  something 
that  charmed  it.  If  the  Seventy-tiuo  had  lived  in  our 
day,  they  would  have  rendered  the  word  Nachash,  as 
the  great  Hebrew  scholar  of  the  East,  but  now  of  the 
West,  C.  Blanchard  Thompson,  has  rendered  it,  by 
the  word  Negro. 

11  The  negroes  brought  from  the  Gold  Coast  into 
America,  and  their  descendants,  I  studied  in  the 


134  THE   NEGRO. 

cotton  and  cane-fields,  in  sickness  and  in  health, 
under  good  masters  and  bad,  and  at  the  dissecting- 
table.  What  I  thus  learned  in  the  book  of  Nature, 
I  found,  to  my  great  surprise,  had  been  revealed 
more  than  five  thousand  years  previously  in  the 
Hebrew  Bible.  I  discovered  that  they  have  no 
resentments  for  being  flogged,  as  other  people 
have ;  that  liberty  makes  them  miserable,  instead 
of  happy ;  that  they  submit  themselves  into  sla 
very  ;  are  protected  by  a  law  of  their  nature,  like 
mules,  against  being  over-worked ;  that  they  were 
slaves  by  mind,  or  slaves  by  nature. 

"  Happily,  as  foretold,  the  seed  of  the  woman  is 
bruising  the  head  of  the  serpent,  and  Christianity 
is  setting  the  poor  negro  free  from  slavery  to  that 
evil  spirit  which  seizes  upon  him  whenever  he  gets 
beyond  the  hearing  of  the  crack  of  the  white  man's 
whip." 

When  I  had  finished  this  remarkable  article,— 
and  I  was  so  absorbed  in  its  numerous  details,  that 
I  quite  forgot  the  cloud  of  mosquitos  who  spiked 
me  in  every  accessible  part  of  my  body,  and  en 
joyed,  I  doubt  not,  a  rare  banquet,  —  I  fell  at  once 
under  the  conviction,  that  Samuel  A.  was  a  bit  of  a 
wag,  —  a  man  who  could  not  keep  the  wit  from 
bubbling  up.  I  wanted  to  hear  him  preach  :  for  I 
knew  that  he  must  be  a  terribly  funny  man  ;  one, 
indeed,  who  would  not  dare  to  be  as  funny  as  he 


THE    NEGRO.  135 

could,  for  fear  of  the  most  dreadful  consequences, 
since  men  have  been  known  to  die  of  excessive 
laughter.  He  has  done,  I  said,  a  very  rich  thing  ; 
for  he  has  published,  in  a  Review  given  to  the 
most  ultra  proslavery  doctrines,  a  paper  which 
purports  to  be  a  balm  for  every  tender  conscience 
south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  while  it  is  really 
a  very  neat  piece  of  ridicule.  Here  is  poison, 
labelled  "  Magnesia,"  for  every  diseased  Southern 
stomach.  The  old  gentleman  is  really  swimming 
in  the  deepest  waters  of  satire ;  and  I  fear,  that,  if 
these  planters  discover  under  what  a  great  gulPs 
wing  they  have  taken  shelter,  Samuel  A.  will 
surely  swing  for  it.  When  the  proprietors  of 
De  Bow  find  out  the  joke,  they  will  sprinkle 
their  journal  weekly  with  holy  water,  until  a  new 
volume  sets  in. 

But,  as  I  sat  there  wondering,  —  the  merciless 
mosquitos,  who  had  fed  on  me  and  were  full, 
singing  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  calling  in 
all  their  neighbors,  —  I  began  to  feel,  that,  after  all, 
it  was  not  a  joke.  Samuel  A.  was  really  in  ear 
nest.  His  friends,  perhaps,  had  been  slightly  trou 
bled  about  the  rights  of  slavery;  and,  to  appease 
them,  he  had  consented  to  take  down  his  old  He 
brew  lexicon,  and,  with  intellectual  spade  and 
pick,  dig  about  the  roots  of  Genesis  a  little.  And 
there  is  no  denying  that  he  has  done  immense 


136  THE   NEGRO. 

service  to  the  cause.  The  rich  planter  is  satisfied, 
that,  the  moment  a  man  reads  Hebrew,  he  is  pos 
sessed  with  the  desire  to  own  slaves ;  and  that  all 
our  abolition  brethren  of  the  North  want  is  a 
sound  lecture  by  some  ripe  Hebrew  scholar,  who 
shall  read  to  them  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis. 
If  they  can  resist  that,  they  are  incorrigible. 

I  take  to  myself  great  credit  for  exhuming  this 
document,  which  was  dog-eared  and  dusty,  and 
likely  to  pass  into  utter  oblivion.  It  settles  some 
questions  of  grave  importance  :  — 

First,  The  absolute  necessity  .of  having  Hebrew 
taught  in  our  public  schools. 

Second,  That  the  slave-owner  is  entirely  right 
when  he  counts  his  mules,  niggers,  and  hogs,  and 
says  he  has  so  many  "  head "  in  the  aggregate ; 
and  our  outcry  against  its  inhumanity  arises  simply 
from  the  fact,  that  we  are  not  acquainted  with  Holy 
Writ.  Had  we  the  desired  knowledge,  we  should 
remember,  that,  in  the  twenty-fourth  verse  of  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis,  u  the  Lord  said,  Let  the 
earth  bring  forth  naphesh  chayah  (alias  negroes), 
cattle,  and  creeping  thing,  and  beast  of  the  earth 
after  his  kind  ;  and  it  was  so."  God  puts  negroes 
and  catties  in  the  same  catalogue ;  and  if,  after 
this,  you  are  rash  enough  to  reprove  the  slave- 
driver,  you  will  quickly  have  your  flank  turned, 
and  your  centre  thrown  into  disorder,  by  that 


THE   NEGRO.  137 

sixty-four  pounder,  —  the  original  Hebrew  first 
chapter  of  Genesis. 

Third,  We  learn  the  important  fact,  that,  eth- 
nologically,  the  negro  precedes  Adam.  The  said 
negro  is  simply  a  sort  of  preliminary  step  to 
wards  a  white  man :  he  is  "  a  living  creature 
with  an  immortal  soul."  After  the  earth  had 
brought  him  forth,  God  said,  "  Now  let  us  make 
something  in  our  own  image,  and  after  our  like 
ness  ; "  and  then  Adam  stepped  into  the  garden  of 
Eden,  while  the  negro  sat  quietly  under  the 
branches  of  the  tree  in  the  centre  of  the  garden, 
waiting  for  Eve. 

Now,  how  unfortunate  it  is  that  the  Seventy 
were  so  ignorant  of  Hebrew  roots,  or  rather  how 
unfortunate  that  Samuel  A.  was  born  two  centuries 
too  late !  Had  he  been  one  of  the  Seventy,  and 
that  august  body  had  hit  upon  the  right  word  for 
naphesh  chayah,  and  translated  it  "  negro,"  what 
an  infinite  deal  of  trouble  would  have  been  saved ! 
It  would  have  been  settled  beyond  all  dispute, 
that  the  negro  is  nothing  but  a  serpent,  —  a  hiss 
ing,  whistling,  babbling,  cunning  creature  ;  and  all 
qualms  about  the  slave-trade  would  have  been  ap 
peased.  England  would  have  been  saved  a  great  deal 
of  excitement  and  harsh  feeling  about  the  "  middle 
passage;"  and  her  money-bags  would  to-day  be  filled 
with  the  millions  of  dollars  which  her  abolitionists 


138  THE   NEGRO. 

expended  in  freeing  the  black  bondmen  of  the 
West  Indies.  America  would  have  had  no  war. 
Instead  of  this  feeling  of  chivalry  and  humaneness, 
which  is  called  abolitionism,  the  North  and  South 
would  be  owners  in  the  same  slave-ships ;  and 
there  would  be  a  generous  rivalry  as  to  which  sec 
tion  of  our  loved  land  should  import  the  greatest 
number  of  blacks  and  make  the  largest  fortunes. 
Alas  !  the  Seventy  were  ignorant  of  the  infinite 
injury  they  were  doing  to  posterity,  when  they 
slipped  so  easily  by  the  real  meaning  of  napliesli 
cliayali. 

Possibly  they  were  absorbed  in  a  friendly  game 
of  euchre  at  the  critical  moment ;  for  I  hear  that 
these  old  divines  were  given  to  some  of  the  plea 
sures  of  a  carnal  world :  and,  if  so,  sure  am  I  that 
knaves  were  prominent  cards.  There  is,  however, 
but  one  thing  to  do :  appoint  the  Rev.  Samuel  A. 
a  committee  to  repair  to  the  nearest  place  where  a 
medium  can  call  up  the  recreant  spirits  of  the 
Seventy,  and  belabor  them  with  a  Hebrew  lexi 
con. 

I  need  not  add,  that,  after  sufficiently  wondering 
at  this  paper,  my  mind  was  tranquillized ;  and  I 
succeeded  in  my  object,  —  which  was  to  forget  the 
world,  and  dusty  roads,  and  war,  and  my  own  wea 
riness,  in  sleep.  Only  once  was  I  disturbed  in  the 
night.  Just  before  dawn,  my  door  opened,  and  an 


THE    NEGRO.  139 

odd  "  living  creature  with  an  immortal  soul "  en 
tered  my  room.  It  was  about  the  height  of  a  man ; 
and  I  doubted  not,  that,  if  Adam  Clarke  had  been 
present,  he  would  have  at  once  pronounced  it  the 
veritable  orang-outang,  whose  perfidious  wiles  were 
the  destruction  of  Eve's  innocence.  I  had  just 
summoned  courage  to  question  it,  and  had  indeed 
asked,  "  Who  art  thou.  that  comest  here  ?  "  and  it 
had  "  babblingly,  whistlingly  "  answered,  "  Ise  de 
Naphesh  chayah,  de  ophidian  Bimana,  who " 
when  the  only  remaining  cock  which  the  soldiers 
had  left  on  the  plantation  crowed,  and  the  spiritual 
Bimana  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

For  four  months  my  business  brought  me  into 
constant  contact  with  the  negroes.  I  have  seen 
them  under  nearly  all  circumstances :  when  they 
were  listening  to  the  twang  of  the  banjo,  and  enjoy 
ing  the  luxury  of  a  Saturday-afternoon  dance  ;  and 
when  they  have,  glum,  silent,  sullen,  just  come 
from  the  whipping-house  with  their  backs  well 
scored.  I  have  seen  favorite  house-servants,  who 
were  proud  of  their  ability  to  read  and  write  ;  and 
the  old  field-hands,  who,  trembling  with  age,  fum 
bled  their  charms,  and  told  me  of  the  adventures 
and  exploits  of  Lafitte.  I  have  tried  impartially 
to  answer  that  question,  which  the  North  now 
puts  to  every  man  who  has  travelled  in  the  South, 
"  Are  the  blacks  ready  for  freedom  ? "  It  may 


140  THE  NEGRO. 

be  a  question  fraught  with  many  a  difficulty : 
still  I  will  say,  that,  for  one,  I  am  not  afraid  to 
have  the  experiment  tried.  I  am  troubled  about 
no  such  results  as  are  held  up  as  bugbears  in  every 
argument.  The  negroes  are  far  more  fit  to  be  free 
than  many  people  who  enjoy  that  inestimable  pri 
vilege  :  they  are  fitter  to  be  free  than  to  be 
slaves. 

Of  one  thing  I  am  sure :  the  slaves  everywhere 
have  an  intense  longing  to  possess  their  own  bodies, 
and  to  govern  their  own  fortunes.  No  one  could 
have  accompanied  our  forces  through  the  Teche 
without  being  deeply  impressed  with  this  fact. 
They  crowded  to  the  highway  to  see  us  pass  ;  and 
clapped  their  hands,  and  sang  and  prayed,  as  ban 
ner  after  banner,  beneath  whose  folds  to-day  there 
are  no  slaves,  went  by.  Their  expressions  are 
quaint,  but  full  of  meaning.  "  Tank  God  !  de  day  is 
come  at  last ! "  said  one  old  man,  as  he  reverently 
raised  both  hands  in  benediction  over  our  boys.  I 
could  not  help  feeling  that  there  was  no  harm  in 
bowing  my  head,  as  the  white-haired  man  hoped 
God  would  take  good  care  "  of  de  young  master." 
Still  I  could  not  see  the  use  of  freedom  to  one  so 
aged  ;  and  said,  — 

"'Uncle,  freedom  will  do  you  no  good;  for  you 
are  just  on  the  edge  of  the  grave. " 

"  I  knows  dat,  master;  I  knows  dat  well  enough: 


THE   NEGRO.  141 

but  I've  got  my  boys;  and  I  bless  you  all,  kase  you 
give  'em  free." 

I  rode  on,  wondering  where  that  old  man,  who 
had  been  working  in  the  field  with  a  hoe  or  plough 
for  fifty  years,  had  got  that  longing,  —  if  not  from 
an  instinct,  which  will  hold  the  tiller  when  he  is 
emancipated,  and  guide  him  safely  towards  civili 
zation. 

Such  jubilee  I  never  saw.  The  blacks  took  our 
sick  into  their  little  huts,  and  nursed  them  with  all 
tenderness.  Many  a  soldier  will  remember,  how, 
when  he  fell  out  of  the  ranks  during  one  of  those 
severe  marches,  and  the  planter  near  by  scowled 
and  glowered  so  that  he  would  not  enter  the  rich 
man's  door,  some  poor  "  aunty,"  black  as  the  ace  of 
spades,  helped  him  to  her  own  cabin,  placed  him 
on  her  own  bed,  made  him  tea  and  gruel,  and 
nursed  him  as  tenderly  as  his  own  sister  would 
have  done. 

"  Massa  say  dis  bery  mornin',  '  De  damn  Yankees 
nebber  get  up  to  here  ! '  "  shouted  another  as  we 
passed :  "  but  I  knowed  better ;  we  all  knowed  bet 
ter  dan  dat.  We'se  been  prayin'  too  long  to  de 
Lord  to  have  him  forgit  us  ;  and  now  you'se  come, 
and  we  all  free."  On  entering  one  plantation,  a 
crowd  of  blacks  surrounded  us ;  and  I  wished  that 
the  stolid  logicians,  who  prove  by  slate  and  pencil 
that  the  black  has  no  parental  regard,  had  been 


142  THE   NEGRO. 

there.  They  pressed  in  crowds  about  us ;  and  the 
first  question  was,  "Young  marster,  now  we'se 
free,  can  we  go  up  to  Massa  Smith's  plantation, 
and  get  our  wives  ?  "  These  questions  were  asked 
of  us  continually ;  and,  when  I  told  them  that  they 
might  go,  nothing  could  exceed  their  joy.  One  old 
man,  when  I  gave  him  the  required  permission, 
turned  away,  saying,  "  Well,  well,  dese  is  blessed 
times  shure!" 

And  so  it  was  all  along  the  road  our  army 
marched.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  the  spectacle,  the 
display,  they  cared  for :  it  was  the  one  grand  sub 
ject,  which  throbbed  in  every  black  breast  from 
Brashear  City  to  Alexandria.  They  stood  at  the 
gate  with  tubs  of  cold  water ;  and  they  offered 
their  shoes,  their  money,  to  the  soldiers ;"  and 
when  you  asked  where  their  masters  had  hidden 
their  horses,  and  whether  there  were  any  saddles,  or 
anything  that  could  be  made  available,  in  the  stable, 
they  told  at  once,  if  they  knew.  Once  I  said  to  a 
stalwart  fellow,  who  looked  as  though  he  might 
know  many  a  hiding-place, — 

"  Tom,  you  are  trying  to  cheat  me :  you  do 
know  where  I  can  get  a  horse  ;  but  you  won't 
tell." 

"  Marster,  'fore  God,  I  tells  de  truff.  Ef  I  knowed, 
I'd  tell  shure.  You  give  me  free,  and  do  you 
tink  I  wouldn't  give  you  massa's  horse,  ef  I 


THE    NEGRO.  143 

knowed  where  he  were  ?  "  And  the  little  crowd 
all  corroborated  his  testimony,  and  seemed  hurt 
that  I  distrusted  them. 

Many  a  man  who  has  boasted  that  all  his  slaves 
could  be  trusted,  that  he  had  often  given  his  boy 
Jim  hundreds  of  dollars  to  carry  to  the  bank,  and 
that  not  a  hand  on  his  plantation  could  be  cajoled 
away,  had  his  eyes  opened  wide  on  those  days  of 
our  advance.  Unwilling  that  either  Confederate  or 
Federal  should  confiscate  his  most  valuable  horses, 
he  had  very  stealthily  and  carefully  hidden  them 
in  the  thick  underbrush  of  the  woods,  a  mile  or  a 
mile  and  a  half  away.  Jim  alone  knew  where  they 
were.  The  Confederates  came  rushing  by,  and  Jim 
stood  with  open  mouth  at  the  spectacle  ;  and,  when 
asked  where  his  master's  horses  were,  he,  of  course, 
stared  in  profound  ignorance.  When  the  Federal 
advance  came  .along,  a  cavalry-man  rode  up  on  his 
jaded  beast,  and  inquired,  — 

"  Boys,  can  you  tell  me  where  I  can  get  a  fresh 
horse?" 

And  Jim  was  not  at  all  bashful.  He  at  once 
answered,  — 

"  Yes,  marster :  I'll  show  you  where  de  old  man 
hid  his  stallion;"  and  forthwith  trotted  by  the  side 
of  the  cavalry-man  until  he  exchanged  his  worn-out 
hack  for  a  fine,  sleek  stallion  worth  a  thousand  dol 
lars. 


144  THE   NEGRO. 

These  instances  were  innumerable.  I  will  ven 
ture  to  say,  that  nearly  half  our  cavalry-horses 
were  changed  in  the  Teche  country ;  and;  in  the 
vast  majority  of  cases,  it  was  the  favorite  servants 
who  pointed  out  the  hiding-place,  and  said,  — 

"  You  give  us  free,  and  we  helps  you  all  we 
can." 

A  curious  instance  of  this  kind  came  under  my 
notice.  Wheelock  and  I  were  riding  along  with 
the  skirmishers  towards  Opelousas,  on  two  beasts 
that  were  thoroughly  jaded,  when  a  black  boy 
rushed  out  from  a  cabin  in  the  most  excited  man 
ner,  and  would  hardly  let  our  horses  go  by,  crying 
out,  — 

"  Master,  if  you  wants  me  to,  I  will  tell  you 
where  there  is  two  splendid  horses  belonging  to  de 
ole  man." 

"  How  far  off?  "  we  asked. 

"  'Bout  half  a  mile,  master ;  and  hid  in  de  thick 
cane-brake.'7 

"  But  why,  you  young  rascal,  do  you  come  here, 
and  discover  to  us  your  master's  property  ?  You 
ought  to  have  more  love  for  him  than  to  do  such  a 
thing.'7 

The  idea  of  love  seemed  to  strike  the  boy  as 
being  very  peculiar;  and  he  only  answered,— 

"  When  my  master  begins  to  lub  me,  den  it'll  be 
time  enough  for  me  to  lub  him.  What  I  wants  is 


THE   NEGRO.  145 

to  get  away.     I  want  you  to  take  me  off  from  dis 
plantation,  where  I  can  be  free." 

It  was  not  a  particularly  pleasant  though  a 
somewhat  romantic  thing  to  leave  our  columns, 
and  go  half  a  mile  into  the  woods.  The  guerillas 
abounded  ;  and  they  had  no  scruples  whatever 
about  drawing  a  bead  on  a  stray  Union  sol 
dier. 

Still  we  needed  horses,  and  made  the  attempt. 
The  beasts  were  not  there.  The  black  boy  was 
confounded,  but  said  he  would  call  Jean. 

Now,  Jean  was  the  only  boy  on  the  plantation 
who  knew  where  those  horses  were.  He  was  a 
favorite  servant  at  the  "  big  house  ; "  and,  when 
the  owner  discovered  that  the  retreat  of  the  horses 
was  known  to  some  of  the  hands,  he  told  Jean  to 
remove  them  secretly  to  some  secure  corner,  where 
neither  the  hands  whom  he  knew  he  could  not  trust 
nor  the  Federals  could  penetrate. 

Jean  was  brought.  He  was  forty-five  years  old, 
had  a  family,  lived  as  well  as  a  slave  can  live  in 
the  Teche  country  (which  is  one  of  the  most  cruel 
places  in  the  State),  and  had  received  a  great  many 
favors  from  the  "  big  house  : "  still  he  longed  to  be 
free.  I  said, — 

"  Jean,  I  hear  you  have  hidden  two  good  horses 
in  the  cane-brake.  Will  you  show  me  where  they 
are  ?  " 

12 


146  THE   NEGRO. 

He  hesitated  a  moment,  as  though  revolving  the 
subject  in  his  mind,  grew  serious,  and  then  said 
slowly  and  calmly, — 

"  Yes,  master,  I  will  show  you  where  dem  horses 
is.  De  ole  fokes  will  kill  me  near-a-most,  if  dey 
ever  finds  it  out;  but  you'se  de  people  dat  sets  us 
free,  and  we  poor  colored  fokes  ought  to  do  what 
little  we  can  for  you." 

He  led  the  way  through  fields  half  a  mile,  and 
then  came  to  a  very  dense  cane-brake.  It  was  a 
ticklish  place  to  be  in  ;  but  we  were  in  such  con 
dition,  that  we  were  willing  to  run  some  risk. 
Jean  disappeared,  and  soon  brought  out  a  fine 
gray  American  horse,  as  all  horses  foaled  in  the 
North  are  called ;  and  then,  disappearing  a  second 
time,  came  back  bringing  another.  We  mounted 
with  all  despatch,  the  black  boy  getting  astride  of 
a  very  lean  beast  he  had  managed  to  pick  up,  and 
hastened  on  for  our  advance. 

Jean's  is  a  sample  of  the  kind  of  love  the  best 
negroes  bear  their  masters.  The  more  a  slave 
knows,  and  the  nearer  he  comes  to  being  a  self- 
supporting  man,  the  less  willing  is  he  to  live  in 
servitude.  With  the  first  idea  that  enters  a  black 
man's  head  comes  the  desire  for  freedom.  Keep 
him  in  the  most  brutal  ignorance,  and  he  expresses 
no  particular  desire  to  be  free ;  but  teach  him  how 
to  shoe  a  horse,  let  him  learn  the  carpenter's  trade, 


THE   NEGRO.  147 

or  allow  him  to  attend  you  as  your  body-servant, 
and  to  hear  the  conversation  of  white  folks,  and  he 
is  ruined  as  a  slave.  You  may  allow  him  all  the 
privileges  which  his  position  has  a  right  to  claim ; 
you  may  give  him  presents,  and  try  to  endear  him 
to  you  in  all  manner  of  ways,  —  still,  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases,  he  chafes  against  the  bars  ;  and 
is  not  to  be  trusted  for  a  moment,  when  it  is  possi 
ble  to  attain  his  freedom.  There  are,  of  course, 
exceptions  to  this  rule.  There  are  servants,  ge 
nerally  female,  who  cannot  be  induced  to  leave  the 
old  home.  They  are  sufficiently  happy  and  con 
tented  as  they  are.  They  experience  none  of  the 
horrors  of  slavery,  and  are  attached  to  their  mas 
ter  or  mistress.  Not  so  generally  with  the  man. 
Somehow  his  brain  is  at  work  on  the  problem  all 
the  time.  He  may  have  every  thing  else,  but  still 
he  is  restless  until  he  owns  his  body.  Now,  Jean 
was  a  good  servant;  one  who  daily  came  in  contact 
with  his  owner.  He  visited  other  plantations,  and 
saw  and  heard  what  no  field-hand  ever  saw  or 
heard.  He  was  never  whipped.  But  he  had  a 
wife  and  three  little  children ;  and  he  told  me  that 
he  trembled  lest  some  day  he  should  go  home,  and 
find  one  of  his  little  ones  gone  or  his  wife  sold. 

"  For,"  said  he,  "  these  be  hard  times,  and  nobody 
knows  whether  they  have  much  money  at  the  big 
house  or  not." 


148  THE  NEGRO. 

Nevertheless,  he  told  me  he  should  stay  on  the 
plantation  until  he  could  get  all  his  family  away. 
He  bade  my  black  boy  an  affectionate  farewell, 
gave  him  an  extra  shirt,  and  hoped  that  God  would 
bless  him. 

As  we  rode  by  the  crowd  at  the  gate,  some  cried 
out, — 

"  Well,  George,  how  is  you  ?  " 

"  All  right  now  for  de  fust  time  in  my  life,'7  he 
answered. 

And  he  slapped  the  ribs  of  his  poor  old  horse  by 
bringing  his  bare  legs  against  his  side  with  prodi 
gious  force,  and  galloped  off,  singing,  and  in  the 
merriest  possible  mood. 

That  boy  I  brought  to  New  Orleans  with  me. 
He  proved  to  be  a  fellow  of  pluck,  and  expressed 
a  desire  to  go  into  the  army.  I  had  him  enlisted 
as  an  engineer  j  and,  when  I  was  at  Port  Hudson, 
he  found  me  out,  and  came  rushing  up  to  me  to 
tell  me  what  he  had  been  doing.  He  will  make  a 
good  soldier ;  and  I  congratulate  myself  on  having 
taken  a  good  hand  from  a  secession  cane-field,  and 
placed  him  in  the  army  of  the  Union. 

But  this  instinctive  love  of  and  longing  for  free 
dom  does  not  confine  itself  to  words :  it  sometimes 
shows  itself  in  lofty  and  heroic  sufferings,  willingly 
endured  for  its  sake.  We  have  been  told  so  re 
peatedly  of  the  dull,  sluggish  nature  of  the  black 


THE   NEGRO.  149 

man,  and  of  the  vast  difference  between  him  and 
the  rude  Saxon,  that  we  have  been  led  to  believe 
there  is  no  spirit,  nothing  indeed  but  a  tame,  insipid 
timidity,  in  the  black's  heart.     A  careful  observer, 
on   going   through    this  State,  would   learn,    that 
though,  by  the  leaden  weight  of  an  irresistible  and 
merciless  public  opinion,  the  majority  of  the  slaves 
are  kept  in  the  most  servile  subjection,  instances 
have    constantly  occurred    of    black   men    taking 
their  lives  in  their  hands,  and  risking  every  thing 
to  be  free.     These  instances  of  lofty  heroism  sel 
dom  get  to  the  ears  of  the  North.     It  would  not 
be  policy  to  have  them  rung  out  by  the  clarion 
eloquence  of  Phillips  from  the  rostrums  of  New 
England.      But   go    quietly   to  the   hound-owner, 
who  has  a  pack  of  a  dozen  or  more  full-blooded 
dogs,  and  ask  him  how  much  employment  he  has 
had  in  past  years,  and  how  many  negroes  his  dogs 
have  so  torn  that  they  died ;  or  when  you  are  rid 
ing  with  the  planter,  and  you  are  both  in  a  con 
fidential  mood,  get  him  to  tell   you  how  in  the 
floating  prairie  yonder,  on  a  little  mound  of  firm 
land,  to  which  there  is  but  a  single  narrow  path 
over  the  tilting  morass,  a  path  known  to  very  few, 
there  have  been  from  time  to  time  little  communi 
ties  of  negroes,  six  or  a  dozen  or  twenty,  who 
have  lived  there  for  months.     And  they  were  the 
brightest  hands  on  the  place  too.     One  day  the 


150  THE  NEGRO. 

overseer  was  testy,  and  struck  them ;  and  at  once 
they  boiled  over  at  the  indignity,  very  nearly  kill 
ing  the  overseer,  and  then  took  to  the  swamps. 
Sometimes  they  come  out  at  night,  and  the  hands 
give  them  bacon  and  corn-meal.  Again  they  come 
and  steal  a  sheep :  and  somehow  they  manage  to 
live  there,  and  the  planters  can't  get  at  them.  It 
certainly  required  a  brave  and  determined  heart 
on  the  part  of  the  negro  to  resist  the  popular  feel 
ing  of  all  the  planters  of  the  State,  and  to  defy  the 
State  laws,  which  winked  at  the  overseer  who  shot 
a  runaway  slave  dead,  and  to  endure  the  privations 
of  swamp-life,  with  a  very  dim  prospect  of  ever 
getting  to  a  free  State,  for  the  sake  of  his  personal 
freedom.  That  negro  certainly  was  something  bet 
ter  than  an  "  ophidian  Bimana,"  and  had  an  appre 
ciation  of  the  value  of  freedom  that  need  not  have 
shamed  any  Saxon  in  the  land. 

But,  since  the  war  commenced,  brilliant  examples 
of  heroic  endurance  of  suffering  have  transpired. 
I  have  listened  to  the  adventures  of  one  of  these 
men,  who  was  determined  to  be  free  at  all  hazards  ; 
and  I  have  been  thrilled  with  the  interest  of  the 
narrative,  and  kindled  with  indignation  against  a 
white  man  who  pretends  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
who,  with  honeyed  language,  will  tell  you  how  he 
loves  his  hands,  and  how  his  people  love  him ;  but 
who,  nevertheless,  will  set  a  dozen  dogs  on  a  black 


THE   NEGEO.  151 

personification  of  a  thousand  dollars,  if  he  chance 
to  indulge  a  desire  to  be  a  man.  It  is  at  such 
times  that  one  sees  the  peculiar  beauties  of  this 
great  missionary  society,  miscalled  slavery ;  and 
it  is  at  such  times,  too,  that  the  chivalry  of  the 
Southern  gentleman  is  exhibited  to  advantage.  It 
is  a  picture,  thank  God,  which  stands  in  bold  con 
trast  against  our  American  civilization ;  and  is  an 
anomaly,  which,  I  hope,  can  have  no  existence  after 
the  war  is  over. 

Immediately  after  Butler  entered  New  Orleans, 
the  slave-owners  were  compelled  to  keep  a  stricter 
vigilance  over  their  hands.  Fewer  passes  were 
given  to  slaves,  allowing  them  to  visit  neighboring 
plantations ;  the  lash  was  more  freely  used  to  in 
timidate,  and  keep  the  blacks  in  subjection ;  and 
fears  of  a  general  exodus  were  to  such  an  extent 
entertained  by  the  whites,  that  the  civil  police  was 
largely  increased,  and  all  sorts  of  measures  resorted 
to,  to  impress  upon  the  negro's  mind  that  he  would 
be  roughly  used  if  ever  he  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Yankees.  This  is  the  testimony  of  all  with 
whom  I  have  spoken.  Indeed,  the  unanimity  upon 
this  point  is  quite  remarkable.  The  master  instinc 
tively  felt  that  he  possessed  only  the  hatred  of  his 
chattel,  whose  sympathy  was  given  to  the  Union 
army.  He  knew  that  the  negro  was  to  be  trusted 
only  within  good  rifle-shot.  Still,  large  numbers 


152  THE   NEGRO. 

succeeded  in  escaping,  and  found  refuge  and  free 
dom  within  the  lines  of  the  Federal  force.  I  have 
talked  with  many  who  travelled  from  one  to  three 
hundred  miles,  encountering  dangers  enough  to 
make  a  respectable  novel,  and  who  were  prompted 
only  by  a  desire  to  own  their  own  bodies.  The 
story  they  tell  is  quaint,  but  oftentimes  thrilling. 
One  which  I  recall,  related  by  a  lusty  fellow  of 
about  four  and  twenty  years,  is  so  full  of  interest, 
that  I  must  repeat  it. 

October  was  a  slave,  on  a  large  cotton  plantation 
in  the  southern  part  of  Arkansas.  When  twenty 
years  of  age,  he  had  married  a  yellow  girl  on  the 
plantation,  by  whom  he  was  blessed  with  one  child. 
He  said  he  had  always  been  a  restless  hand,  and 
entertained  an  instinctive  hatred  towards  the 
overseer.  He  could  never  understand  why  that 
brutal  man  should  stand  over  him  w^ith  a  whip, 
and,  whenever  he  felt  a  little  out  of  sorts,  have 
the  right  to  vent  his  spleen  by  a  sharp  cut  over 
his  (October's)  shoulders.  To  be  sure,  the  over 
seer  was  white,  and  he  had  been  told  that  white 
people  had  received  power  from  God  "  to  do  their 
will  with  the  blacks ;  "  that  these  blacks  were  not 
regarded  by  God  as  good  for  much ;  that  some  of 
them  had  souls,  —  those  who  worked  faithfully ;  and 
some  were  no  better  than  the  pigs  that  fed  from 
the  master's  bounty.  This,  he  said,  he  could  never 


THE   NEGKO.  153 

comprehend.  He  lay  awake  many  a  night,  think 
ing  of  it.  He  talked  the  matter  over  with  his  wife  ; 
but  neither  of  them  could  understand  it.  He  only 
knew  one  thing,  —  that  he  hated  the  whole  white 
race ;  and  that,  above  all  things  else,  he  hated  and 
cursed  God.  When  he  was  well-nigh  worn  out  by 
these  thoughts,  an  old  gray-headed  preacher  from 
the  next  plantation  came  into  his  cabin,  and,  being 
a  very  sympathetic  man,  got  his  whole  story  out 
of  him.  When  he  had  told  all,  the  old  man  hid  his 
face  in  his  hands,  and  murmured,  "How  long,  0 
good  Lord !  how  long  ?  "  Then,  turning  to  October, 
he  put  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  said  impres 
sively,  "  Octo,  de  white  man  is  de  liar,  and  de 
Lord  tell  de  truff.  We  is  a  poor  mis'able  race ; 
but  God  A'mighty  love  us  just  as  much  as  he  do 
de  rich  white  fokes."  "  From  that  moment,"  said 
October,  "  I  knowed  what  I  wanted  :  it  was  to  be 
free." 

The  next  morning,  with  a  lighter  heart,  he  went 
into  the  field ;  and,  when  he  came  home  at  the  ac 
customed  hour  for  dinner,  his  wife  and  child  were 
gone.  There  was  the  pork,  all  cut  up,  and  ready 
to  be  fried ;  and  down  on  the  hearth,  in  the  pan, 
was  the  corn-dough.  No  fire  on  the  hearth ;  and, 
said  he,  "  a  feelin'  to  de  room  dat  made  me  sit  down 
in  a  chair,  and  cry  like  a  baby." 

Just  then,  the  overseer  appeared  at  the  door. 

13 


154  THE  NEGEO. 

"  Where  be  my  wife  and  my  baby  ?  "  he  cried 
frantically. 

"  What,  October  ?  Do  you  mean  Mary  and  the 
pickaninny  ?  Why,  the  old  man  was  dunned  most 
awfully  this  morning ;  and,  knowing  that  you  and 
your  woman  were  a  damned  uneasy  couple,  he  just 
slipped  the  other  two  away." 

The  nearest  thing  at  hand  .was  the  iron  pan, 
with  the  corn-dough  in  it.  Quick  as  thought,  Oc 
tober  shied  it  at  the  overseer's  head.  It  just 
missed  him ;  but  he  saw  at  once  that  he  had  com 
mitted  a  crime  which  would  be  considered  heinous 
by  any  slave  jury.  He  then  started  for  the  swamp, 
while  the  enraged  overseer  went  for  his  gun  and 
dogs.  He  had  no  food,  except  three  slices  of  pork 
which  he  had  slipped  into  his  pocket ;  and  no 
clothing,  except  what  he  had  on  his  back.  He 
had  a  fearful  task  before  him;  but  his  agony  fitted 
him  for  it.  With  wonderful  speed,  he  rushed 
through  the  swamp  till  he  came  to  a  small  bayou. 
This  was  fortunate ;  for  the  dogs  would  here  lose 
his  track.  He  swam  across,  and  kept  on  the  full 
run  for  half  an  hour;  when  the  baying  of  the  head 
hound  proved  that  he  was  seen.  On  he  went,  and 
on  the  dog  came.  He  had  no  weapon  save  a  dull 
jack-knife,  which  he  opened,  and  got  ready  for  use. 
The  head  dog  was  on  him  ;  his  sharp  teeth  were 
in  his  thigh ;  and  the  other  dogs,  four  in  all,  were 


THE   NEGRO.  155 

not  far  in  the  rear.  With  a  great  effort,  he  man 
aged  to  get  hold  of  the  dog's  throat  with  his  left 
hand,  and,  with  his  right,  brought  down  the  old 
jack-knife  blade  just  back  of  the  skull  of  the  hound. 
It  was  a  lucky  hit ;  for  the  dog  let  go  his  hold,  and 
fell  dead.  He  then  limped  on  as  fast  as  he  could ; 
and,  coming  across  a  thick  club,  he  grasped  it,  re 
solving  to  die  game.  Two  of  the  hounds  were 
near  enough  to  see  him.  There  was  no  use  in 
running :  so  he  stopped  to  gather  strength  and  get 
breath  for  the  contest.  The  hounds  rushed  on 
furiously.  One  made  his  leap ;  when  thwack  came 
the  cypress  club  on  his  head,  and  stunned  him. 
The  other  dog  fastened  his  teeth  into  the  calf  of 
his  leg,  and  hung  to  him  most  savagely.  He  had 
lost  his  knife,  and  the  club  was  of  little  use.  He 
beat  the  brute  as  lustily  as  he  could ;  but  his  blows 
did  not  drive  him  off.  At  last,  he  grew  desperate. 
The  overseer  could  not  be  far  behind ;  and,  if  he 
came  up,  all  was  lost.  He  went  down  on  his 
knees,  and  managed  to  get  the  hound  by  the 
throat.  With  both  hands  he  clinched  him,  and  at 
last  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  that  the  brute 
was  choking.  Still  he  held  fast  to  his  calf;  and 
when  he  was  choked  dead,  or  rather  senseless,  so 
tenacious  was  the  brute,  that  October  wras  com 
pelled  to  pull  his  jaws  apart  to  get  free.  He  then 
started  on,  limping  badly. 


156  THE    NEGRO. 

Still  his  trials  were  but  just  begun.  He  had  got 
rid  of  dogs ;  but  now  he  was  to  encounter  men 
who  were  just  as  merciless.  He  had  no  food  ;  and 
his  feet  were  sore,  and  badly  cut.  His  clothes 
were  torn  nearly  off  his  back  ;  and  as  I  think  of  the 
poor  boy,  worn  with  a  heavy  grief,  without  a  friend 
in  all  the  wide  world,  making  his  way  through  the 
dense  jungle,  and  yet  willingly  enduring  these 
things  in  the  simple  hope  of  being  the  possessor  of 
his  own  body,  and  of  getting  to  some  place  where 
no  man  would  have  the  right  to  sell  from  his  home 
those  whom  God  had  given  him,  I  feel  that  there 
is  something  heroic  and  manly  in  him.  He  has 
proved  his  worthiness  to  enjoy  that  inalienable 
right  which  should  be  the  birthright  of  all. 

For  ten  days  he  wandered  through  the  woods, 
travelling  mostly  by  night ;  and  at  last,  on  a  beau 
tiful,  bright  morning,  he  came  out  in  the  road,  and 
saw  in  the  distance  our  flag  floating  in  the  breeze. 
"  Then,"  said  he,  "  I  felt  safe.  I  knew,  dat,  de  mo 
ment  I  got  close  to  dat  flag-pole,  I  was  free."  And 
yet  we  have  had  generals  in  our  army  (God  grant 
we  have  none  now !)  who  would  have  forbidden  that 
boy  to  come  within  our  lines,  and  have  delivered 
him  over  to  his  master,  had  that  master  come  with 
his  oily,  lying  lips,  and  stood  upon  his  rights  as  a 
Southern  gentleman.  We  are  not  worthy  of  those 
significant  victories  which  follow  on  the  heels  of 


THE   NEGRO.  157 

such  a  war  as  this ;  a  war  which  is  like  a  boiling 
caldron,  in  which  right  and  wrong  are  simmering 
together,  each  boiling,  bubbling,  seething,  to  deter 
mine  which  shall  become  the  precipitate,  and  which 
shall  give  character  to  the  water  which  is  to  quench 
the  thirst  of  the  next  generation ;  a  war  upon 
whose  magnificent  issues  the  old  sages  and  heroes 
of  the  past  are  gazing  from  their  homes  in  the 
great  Hereafter  with  infinite  solicitude,  to  assure 
themselves  that  we  are  worthy  the  mighty  heritage 
of  popular  liberty  which  they  bequeathed  to  us : 
I  say,  we  are  not  yet  ready  for  the  end  and  the 
triumph,  unless  we  forget  the  difference  between 
the  black  and  the  white  skin,  and  worship  heroism 
and  manliness  wherever  .they  may  be  found.  Be 
fore  that  great  day,  —  the  day  when  the  Almighty 
will  give  us  back  the  old  flag,  torn,  powder-stained, 
but  glorious ;  the  symbol  of  a  people  who  are  all 
free, —  we  must  slough  off  this  unmanly  antipathy 
against  those  of  darker  hue ;  this  corroding  pre 
judice  which  holds  us  back  from  deeds  of  justice, 
and  forces  us  into  wronging  four  millions  of  Ameri 
can  citizens,  who  will  yet  be  found  invaluable  as 
agriculturists  and  soldiers,  but  whom  we  have 
delighted  to  sneer  at  as  only  niggers. 

This  story  of  October  is  not  singular.  I  have 
met  many  men,  in  my  travels  through  the  depart 
ment,  whose  experiences  have  been  equally  thrill- 


158  THE   NEGRO. 

ing.  There  are  scores  of  officers,  whose  body- 
servants  have  endured  all  manner  of  trials  in  the 
attempt  to  secure  their  freedom.  I  have  seen  boys 
with  buckshot  in  their  arms  and  in  various  parts 
of  their  bodies,  —  the  price  they  were  willing  to 
pay  to  own  themselves,  and  the  last  souvenir  of 
slavery. 

So  much  I  say  to  prove  the  universal  longing,  in 
the  negro's  heart,  after  freedom.  I  know  there  are 
many  in  the  North  who  believe  that  the  black  man 
is  in  a  kind  of  comatose  state :  he  has  worn  the 
chains  so  long,  and  has  become  so  accustomed  to 
them,  that  he  would  feel  at  a  loss  without  them. 
Most  planters  will  tell  you  that  the  slaves  are  the 
most  rollicking,  and  the  r\east  ambitious,  people  in 
the  world ;  if  freedom  wtli\  offered  to  them,  they 
are  too  well  contented  w:  their  present  careless 
life  to  accept  it ;  they  can  never  be  happy,  except 
as  dependants  of  the  whites.  But  it  is  not  so. 
With  the  exception  of  a  few  favorite  house-servants, 
and  a  small  number  of  people  too  old  to  take  care 
of  themselves,  all  are  wide  awake,  terribly  so,  on 
this  subject.  They  have  prayed  about  it,  and  met 
in  secret  conclave  to  talk  of  it. 

The  planters  little  know  how  many  times  they 
have  been  sleeping  on  a  volcano.  While  thinking 
themselves  secure  from  all  harm,  and  believing  that 
their  hands  were  in  their  cabins,  dreaming,  they 


THE   NEGRO.  159 

have  been  close  to  a  bloody  insurrection :  the  very 
thought  of  which  the  planter  scouts,  when  talking 
to  a  Northerner ;  but  which  he  has  been  in  mortal 
dread  of  many  and  many  a  time.  At  midnight,  the 
blacks  have  stolen  from  their  plantations,  and  met 
in  the  cane-brake,  or  some  other  secure  retreat,  and 
talked  of  the  Yankees,  and  prayed  for  them  and  for 
the  flag  of  the  free. 

Again  :  the  slaves  of  the  South  are  not  a  happy 
people.  No  one  can  travel  from  plantation  to 
plantation,  from  county  to  county,  as  I  have  done, 
without  being  strangely  impressed  with  the  uni 
versal  gloom  of  the  negro  character.  You  may 
talk  of  the  light-hearted,  merry  slave  as  much  as 
you  will :  it  is  all  rhetoric,  and  has  no  foundation 
whatever  in  fact.  They  are  a  sombre  race,  —  a 
race  who  show  that  every  effort  has  been  made  to 
crush  them,  —  a  race  whose  hearts  have  a  chain 
and  ball  on  them.  Planters  delight  to  tell  you  of 
the  Saturday-afternoon  dances,  of  the  frolics  when 
the  day's  work  is  over,  and  of  the  general  hila 
rity  which  is  noticed  on  a  plantation.  I  have 
lived  on  plantations  a  week  at  a  time ;  I  have 
watched  slaves  under  nearly  all  circumstances, — 
on  the  Saturday  afternoon,  in  the  evening,  and  at 
their  balls :  but  I  have  been  everywhere  con 
vinced  that  an  unnatural  gloom  overspreads  the 
negro's  life.  It  is  very  seldom  that  you  hear  a 


160  THE   NEGRO. 

good  round  laugh  from  a  black  man.  He  is  timid 
and  fearful,  and  seems  like  one  walking  in  a  danger 
ous  place  in  the  dark.  But  say,  "  Uncle,  would  you 
Ijke  to  be  free  ?  "  and  notice  the  twinkle  in  his  eye 
as  he  looks  at  you  searchingly,  and,  after  conclud 
ing  that  you  are  his  friend,  says,  with  an  ominous 
shake  of  the  head,  "  Yes,  master :  all  of  us  would 
like  to  be  free ;  but  we  don't  see  de  way  yet." 

Still  the  serious  question  proposes  itself  here, 
Are  these  people  fit  to  be  free  ?  Can  they,  as  a  race, 
support  themselves  ?  The  answer,  in  my  mind,  is 
very  clear.  Why  should  they  not  be  able,  if  there 
is  work  for  them  to  do,  to  procure  their  three-quar 
ters  of  a  pound  of  pork  and  their  half-dozen  ears 
of  corn  per  day  ?  Are  they  so  foolish  as  to  starve 
to  death  ?  Look  at  this  matter  closely,  and  you 
will  find  the  source  of  these  assertions  of  the 
planter.  He  does  not,  for  a  moment,  suppose  that 
the  black  has  not  sense  enough  to  procure  his  own 
subsistence.  That  is  not  his  trouble.  It  is  that 
the  work  on  a  sugar-plantation  is,  at  certain  times  of 
the  year,  very  trying ;  and  he  fears  that  the  blacks, 
through  what  he  calls  their  inevitable  laziness,  will 
prefer  to  live  on  their  little  patch  of  ground,  rather 
than  work  for  him,  during  the  rolling  season,  for 
unreasonable  wages.  The  planter  is  looking  at  his 
own  interest  simply,  when  he  argues  this  point  j 
and,  when  he  talks  of  the  slave's  laziness  and  imbe- 


THE   NEGRO.  1G1 

cility,  he  means,  simply,  that  he  will,  through  free 
dom,  get  beyond  his  reach,  —  nothing  more.  The 
Southerner,  in  his  heart,  has  not  the  least  doubt 
that  the  slave  population  have  the  ability  to  be 
come  a  self-supporting  people.  Look  down  the 
catalogue,  and  see  for  yourself  how  this  is.  In  the 
first  place,  we  notice  the  house-servants,  who  are 
cooks,  chambermaids,  body-servants  :  these  can  al 
ways  find  employment  as  well  as  white  people  of 
the  same  class.  Then  come  the  hostlers,  who  are 
generally  very  bright,  and  the  gardeners,  the  black 
smiths,  carpenters,  and  other  hands,  whose  money 
value  is  beyond  the  average.  These,  surely,  can 
find  out  the  way  to  a  subsistence ;  for  their  trades 
are  always  remunerative,  and  their  services  will 
always  be  in  demand.  Next  we  come  to  the  field- 
hands  ;  and  of  these  the  brightest  are  generally  the 
ploughboys,  some  of  them  right  smart  and  shrewd. 
Then,  lastly,  we  notice  the  clumsier  sort,  who,  both 
men  and  women,  use  the  hoe  and  shovel.  Who 
of  these  are  unable  or  unwilling  to  earn  their  five 
pounds  of  pork  (forty  cents)  and  their  hundred 
ears  of  corn  (a  dollar)  per  week  ?  Just  throw  off 
the  yoke,  and  give  them  a  fair  trial.  You  would 
soon  find  that  they  would  become  shrewd  and 
thrifty.  Your  big  plantations  would  undoubtedly 
suffer,  and  hence  the  sneers  and  opposition.  It 
would  cost  more  to  raise  a  crop  of  sugar ;  for  the 


162  THE   NEGRO. 

negro,  no  more  willingly  than  the  white  man,  will 
work  night  and  day,  for  three  months  in  the  year, 
for  poor  clothing  and  wretched  food.  Louisiana, 
instead  of  consisting,  for  the  most  part,  of  thirteen 
hundred  and  fifty  plantations,  that  cover  from  one 
to  three  and  five  thousand  acres  each,  would  be 
dotted  all  over  with  little  homesteads  of  from  two 
to  a  dozen,  and  from  that  to  fifty  acres  each ;  while 
the  population,  in  point  of  moral  worth  and  vigor, 
would  increase  a  thousand-fold,  and  the  State  at 
last  become  truly  democratic  and  republican. 

Another  and  a  more  important  change  would 
take  place ;  this  time,  not  so  much  in  division  of 
land,  and  extent  of  farming  interest,  as  in  the  cha 
racter  of  the  citizens.  There  are  geniuses  among 
the  blacks,  men  wonderfully  gifted  by  nature.  The 
race  can  give  us  minds  whose  thoughts  we  cannot 
afford  to  lose.  Music,  art,  and  science  will  spring 
into  being  with  freedom.  Four  millions  of  people 
surely  have  some  among  them  who  are  nobly  gifted, 
and  who  only  need  to  hear  the  chains  drop  to 
spring  into  a  grander  life.  Now  we  get  from  them 
nothing  but  the  play  of  their  muscles;  but  let  Free 
dom  sing  her  song  in  the  South,  and  these  gifted 
sons,  brightened  by  public  schools,  tamed  by  an 
outspoken,  practical  religion,  and  encouraged  by 
an  enlightened  public  opinion,  will  rise  to  the  sur 
face  of  society,  worthy  the  companionship  of  aristo 
crat  or  litterateur. 


THE   NEGRO.  163 

I  remember  to  have  been  called  to  Carrollton 
some  time  in  February  to  inspect  the  condition  of 
the  negroes  there.  They  had  collected  in  very 
large  numbers,  from  an  area  of  country  with  a  ra 
dius  of  forty  miles,  and  formed  themselves  into 
colonies  with  from  one  to  five  hundred  in  each  ;  and 
were  living  on  three-quarters  Government  rations, 
and  working  in  every  way  in  which  they  could  be 
made  available.  As  soon  as  they  were  well  settled, 
they  built  a  rude  church.  The  negro  has  a  pecu 
liarly  emotional  nature,  and  is  very  susceptible  of 
a  certain  amount  of  religious  influence.  His  reli 
gion  is  not  always  quite  reasonable ;  it  is  a  kind  of 
nervous  spasm,  an  uncontrollable  ecstasy,  with  a 
great  many :  still  it  is  the  legitimate  product  of 
three  generations  of  mental  and  physical  depres 
sion. 

I  entered  the  low  room  devoted  to  church-pur 
poses,  bowing  my  head,  not  so  much  in  reverence, 
I  fear,  as  from  the  fact  that  my  first  act,  after 
crawling  through  the  door,  was  to  add  to  my  phre 
nological  organs  numerically  by  very  close  and  sud 
den  contact  with  the  ceiling.  It  was  a  novel 
picture  which  presented  itself.  A  full  hundred 
blacks,  of  all  shades,  from  the  octoroon,  generally 
pretty  and  pert,  to  the  unmistakable  Congo,  were 
gathered  together  •  and,  for  a  few  moments,  perfect 
silence  prevailed.  No  one  seemed  to  dare  to  speak. 


164  THE   NEGRO. 

At  length,  however,  a  single  voice,  coming  from  a 
dark  corner  of  the  room,  began  a  low,  mournful 
chant,  in  which  the  whole  assemblage  joined  by 
degrees.  It  was  a  strange  song,  with  seemingly 

(very  little  rhythm,  and  was  what  is  termed  in  music 
a  minor :  it  was  not  a  psalm,  nor  a  real  song,  as  we 
understand  these  words ;  for  there  was  nothing 
that  approached  the  jubilant  in  it.  It  seemed  more 
like  a  wail,  a  mournful,  dirge-like  expression  of  sor 
row.  At  first,  I  was  inclined  to  laugh,  it  was  so  far 
from  what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  call  music ;  then 
I  felt  uncomfortable,  as  though  I  could  not  endure 
it,  and  half  rose  to  leave  the  room ;  and  at  last,  as 
the  weird  chorus  rose  a  little  above,  and  then  fell 
a  little  below,  the  key-note,  I  was  overcome  by  the 
real  sadness  and  depression  of  soul  which  it  seemed 
to  symbolize.  When  it  was  ended,  —  and  like  our 
grandfathers,  who  indulged  in  unadulterated  and 
unabridged  "  Watts "  to  the  extent  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  verses,  they  sang  for  a  full  half-hour,  —  an 
old  man  knelt  down  to  pray.  His  voice  was  at  first 
low  and  indistinct :  the  prayer  was  purely  an  emo 
tional  effort.  He  seemed  to  gain  impulse  as  he 
went  on,  and  pretty  soon  burst  out  with  an  "  0 
good,  dear  Lord!  we  pray  for  de  cullered  people. 
Thou  knows  well  'nuff  what  we'se  been  through : 
do,  do,  oh !  do,  gib  us  free  ! "  when  the  whole  au 
dience  swayed  back  and  forward  in  their  seats,  and 


THE   NEGKO.  165 

uttered  in  perfect  harmony  a  sound  like  that  caused 
by  prolonging  the  letter  "  m  "  with  the  lips  closed. 
One  or  two  began  this  wild,  mournful  chorus ;  and 
in  an  instant  all  joined  in,  and  the  sound  swelled 
upwards  and  downwards  like  waves  of  the  sea.  It 
was  a  sort  of  universal  amen  to  the  words  of  him 
who  prayed,  and  always  commenced  when  the  op 
pressions  of  the  race  were  alluded  to  (as  they  always 
were  in  prayer),  and  when  the  preacher  grew  fer 
vent  (as  he  always  did)  while  asking  for  all  sorts  of 
quaint  blessings  for  the  Union  army. 

At  length,  we  were  treated  to  the  sermons.  The 
first  man  who  spoke  was  a  downright,  hard-thump 
ing  preacher.  His  object  seemed  to  be  to  get  him 
self  into  an  ecstasy ;  and,  in  the  course  of  ten 
minutes,  he  accomplished  his  purpose.  He  lost  all 
self-control ;  and,  intoning  his  remarks,  took  flights 
of  rhetoric  which  would  have  made  Whately  dizzy, 
and  produced  logic  which  brought  tears — of  laugh 
ter —  to  my  eyes.  He  was  evidently  a  character, 
and  produced  some  effect. 

When  he  sat  down,  and  the  storm  was  over,  a 
profound  calm  settled  on  the  audience.  For  full 
five  minutes,  not  a  word  was  uttered.  Then,  from 
his  quiet  place  in  one  corner,  rose  the  man  for 
whose  sake  I  have  made  this  digression,  and  intro 
duced  you  to  this  strange  negro-meeting.  The 
moment  I  looked  at  him,  I  saw  that  he  was  no  com- 


166  THE  NEGRO. 

mon  man.  He  had  a  full  forehead,  a  tall,  command 
ing  figure ;  and,  as  I  afterwards  ascertained,  was  a 
confidential  servant  on  one  of  the  largest  planta 
tions  in  the  State.  There  was  no  cant  about  him. 
He  was  simply  a  genius,  —  gifted  far  beyond  most 
men,  and  needing  only  education  to  enable  him  to 
take  position  amoiig  those  who  make  rather  than 
follow  public  opinion.  In  his  opening  remarks,  he 
referred  to  a  difficulty  among  the  negroes  who  had 
been  led  to  expect  pay  for  their  work.  I  remember 
his  exact  words.  "  My  brethren,"  said  he  in  the 
most  quiet  and  mellow  tone,  "  I  have  been  a  slave 
for  six  and  thirty  years ;  and,  though  I  labored  faith 
fully  for  my  master,  I  never  received  at  any  one 
time  more  than  four  bits  ;  and  if,  as  a  slave,  I 
could  work  for  my  owner  for  six  and  thirty  years, 
now  that  I  am  a  freeman,  surely  I  can  work  for 
Uncle  Sam  a  little  while, — just  a  little  while,— 
until  he  can  find  a  fitting  place  for  me,  for  nothing." 
To  the  reader,  it  may  be  a  common  sentence ;  but 
the  effect  was  instantaneous.  "  Yes,  yes,"  went 
over  the  room :  "  if  we're  free,  it's  enough  for 
now."  The  question  was  settled  with  that  au 
dience,  and  better  than  I  had  done  it  with  all  my 
arguments.  Again  he  produced  a  queer,  thrilling, 
oratorical  effect  upon  his  hearers.  "Brethren,  I  do 
not  care  if  Jam  a  slave;  I  have  reached  maturity, 
and  can  endure  it :  but "  (and  here  his  voice  fell 


THE   NEGRO.  1G7 

almost  to  a  whisper)  "  I  have  in  yonder  cabin  a 
child,  a  boy  only  five  years  of  age,  whom  I  love  as 
I  do  my  life ;  and  I  thank  God,  I  thank  God,  that  I 
am  a  freeman,  for  his  sake."  Think  of  the  kind  of 
people  addressed, —  unintelligent,  rough,  careless 
field-hands  ;  and  of  him  who,  in  that  rudest  of  all 
temples,  spoke  these  lofty  thoughts, —  a  man  owned 
by  another,  to  whom  Nature  had  given  the  genius 
to  see  into  and  through  the  institution  of  slavery, 
himself  one  of  its  victims,  —  and  you  will  admit, 
that  the  thought  as  well  as  the  expression  was 
remarkable. 

I  remember,  too,  some  of  his  phrases :  they  were 
very  beautiful,  and  were  epic  in  grandeur.  He 
spoke  of  "the  rugged  wood  of  the  cross,'''  whereto 
the  Saviour  was  nailed ;  and,  after  describing  that 
scene  with  as  much  power  as  I  have  ever  known 
an  orator  to  exhibit,  he  reached  the  climax,  when 
he  pictured  the  earthquake  which  rent  the  veil  of 
the  temple,  with  this  extremely  beautiful  expres 
sion  :  "  And,  my  friends,  the  earth  was  unable  to  en 
dure  the  tremendous  sacrilege,  and  trembled"  He 
held  his  rude  audience  with  most  perfect  control ; 
subdued  them,  excited  them,  and,  in  fact,  did  what 
he  pleased  with  them.  I  recall  one  other  expres 
sion,  which  struck  me  as  being  very  effective.  He 
was  beseeching  his  people  to  walk  in  the  paths  of 
virtue ;  and,  when  referring  to  the  awful  penalties 


168  THE   NEGRO. 

of  disobedience,  he  said,  "  And,  if  you  heed  not  the 
lessons  of  this  dear  Saviour,  you  will  inevitably  go 
to  that  place  which  is  filed  with  the  unmixed  wrath 
of  Jehovah" 

On  coming  out,  I  said,  "  This,  of  course,  is  a 
speech  which  he  has  committed  to  memory."  But 
my  friend  assured  me  to  the  contrary.  He  said  the 
man  could  talk  as  brilliantly  at  any  time,  and  on  any 
subject.  Then  my  heart  swelled  against  a  system 
which  keeps  such  a  man  in  degradation,  and  has  a 
well-regulated  machinery  which  ruins  the  genius 
of  a  whole  race.  Commencing  with  the  fatal  pre 
sumption,  —  and  an  abominable  insult  to  the  Al 
mighty  it  is,  —  that,  collectively  and  individually, 
the  blacks  are  imbeciles,  these  people  have  set  to 
work,  and  formed  an  organization  as  complete  as 
Masonry,  within  whose  outer  circle  you  and  I  can 
no  more  enter,  being  abolitionists,  than  we  who 
are  not  masons  can  enter  the  door  of  a  masonic 
lodge.  The  chief  aim  of  the  members  of  this 
organization  being  to  make  money ;  to  establish 
an  aristocracy  and  a  wealthy  landed  gentry ;  and 
eventually,  at  some  convenient  time,  to  break  the 
bond  of  union  with  the  republican  North,  and  in 
vite  some  cast-off  European  prince  to  come  and 
reign  over  them  (for  this  latter  purpose  inheres  in 
the  heart  of  the  organization),  —  they  hope  to  base 
all  this  fine  project  upon  the  continued  and  sys- 


THE   NEGRO.  169 

tematic  subjection  of  four  millions  of  men7  who 
are  as  bright  mentally,  and  brighter  morally,  and 
as  valuable  by  any  measurement,  as  a  large  class 
of  poor  whites,  who,  in  the  grand  whirl  of  the  vor 
tex,  are  kept  just  enough  under  the  water  to  be 
helpless,  craven,  cowardly,  and  half-drowned.  By 
this  subjection,  based  on  the  falsest  philosophy  and 
the  greatest  inhumanity,  they  have  kept  this  whole 
population  on  a  dead  level,  and  that  level  as  far 
beneath  the  position  of  a  free  white  man  as  is  pos 
sible.  The  clumsy,  ungifted  clod  has  been  almost 
equal  to  the  bright  and  perhaps  grandly  gifted 
genius.  Slavery  is  the  level ;  and  the  mean  ones 
have  only  sunk  down  to  utter  laziness  and  stupidity, 
the  sign  of  which  has  been  corded  into  their  bare 
backs  by  a  rawhide  lash,  which  cuts  to  the  blood 
at  every  stroke  ;  and  the  lofty  ones,  —  those  richly 
endowed  by  nature,  —  who,  like  the  same  class  of 
persons  in  the  white  race,  needed  only  mental 
training  and  discipline  to  develop  minds  that  could 
coin  thoughts  far  above  yours  or  mine,  have  risen 
above  this  level  only  to  the  position  of  the  hostler 
or  the  body-servant,  and  then,  in  their  ascent,  have 
invariably  come  to  the  end  of  their  tether.  Not 
only  has  there  been  no  vent  practically  (though  I 
have  often  heard  the  delicate  theory  of  planters  on 
this  subject,  through  which  they  have  been  en 
abled  to  rise  by  severing  the  tether,  and  reach  the 

14 


170  THE   NEGRO. 

manhood  of  freedom),  but  any  incipient  aspirations 
after  a  position  higher  than  that  which  has  been 
decreed  their  natural  level  by  the  fiat  of  their  self- 
constituted  judges  has  been  effectually  quenched, 
and  driven  back  into  the  heart  of  the  victim,  as  we 
drive  canker  back  into  the  blood  by  alum,  until,  at 
last,  it  has  well-nigh  leavened  the  life  of  every 
vein  and  artery,  and  compelled  the  whole  body  to 
succumb  to  the  mental  and  moral  death  of  hope 
less  servitude. 

Carlyle  says  that  a  man  has  a  divine  right  to  any 
position  which  he  can  possibly  fill.  If  this  is  so,  the 
culpability  of  those  who  will  persist  in  refusing  fair 
play  in  the  general  competition  is  beyond  measure. 
They  are  no  part  of  the  real  American  people,  either 
in  sympathy  or  worthiness.  They  have  no  lot  or 
part  in  the  problem  of  political  economy  which 
history  has  thrust  upon  us,  but  are  its  sworn 
enemies.  They  are  hostile  to  democracy  in  their 
politics,  their  social  life  and  habits,  and  all  their 
institutions.  For  the  last  half-century  this  has 
been  ignored  or  denied,  because  the  two  sections 
of  country  have  been  woven  together  by  the  mighty 
web  and  woof  of  commercial  interest ;  but,  when 
the  first  gun  was  fired,  the  South  took  their  proper 
position,  —  the  position  of  traitors,  —  and  publicly 
confessed  that  they  had  been  plotting  against  the 
North  and  liberty  for  a  whole  generation. 


THE   NEGRO.  171 

Still,  America  is  the  great  arena  in  which  free 
government  is  to  be  tested.  Not  half  of  the  con 
tinent,  but  the  whole  of  it,  God  gave  us  in  1776; 
and  as  we  would  repel  any  foreign  invader  of  our 
rights  and  our  mission,  so  must  we  buckle  on  our 
armor  against  the  foe  in  our  midst.  The  war  may 
last  twenty  years :  still,  if  we  yield,  we  fail,  and 
must  hereafter  hide  our  heads  in  shame.  It  is  not 
an  optional  matter  with  us.  We  cannot  avoid 
the  tremendous  responsibility.  The  avalanche  has 
started  on  its  murderous  path.  If  we  have  ma 
chinery  to  stop  it,  well;  if  not,  we  shall  be  crushed, 
and  America  is  no  more. 

I  have  always  heard  a  great  deal  about  the 
patriarchal  character  of  the  planter.  Indeed,  in 
conversing  with  gentlemen  who  owned  large 
estates,  they  have  assured  me  in  good  faith,  that 
the  relation  between  their  slaves  and  themselves 
was  little  short  of  parental.  It  is  not  only  for  the 
interest  of  the  planter,  it  is  also  his  duty,  they  say, 
to  exercise  a  sort  of  providential  vigilance  over  his 
hands.  These  beings  are  dependent  upon  him  ;  and 
he  is  bound,  by  all  the  obligations  of  a  man  of 
honor  and  a  Christian,  to  see  that  they  are  properly 
cared  for. 

I  was  charmed  with  this  picture  of  the  institu 
tion,  and  determined  to  look  into  the  matter  for  my 
self.  I  found  the  description  all  rhetoric,  as  I 


THE  NEGRO. 

expected.  Why,  only  the  small  planters,  those  who 
own  from  ten  to  thirty  hands,  have  any  acquaint 
ance  whatever  with  their  people.  I  never  yet 
have  found  a  planter  —  and  I  have  asked  the  ques 
tion  of  two  hundred  —  who  could  tell  me  the  exact 
number  of  blacks  on  his  estate,  without  referring  to 
his  books.  The  master  knows,  by  personal  obser 
vation,  nothing  of  the  way  in  which  his  slaves  live. 
Once  a  day,  perhaps,  he  rides  on  his  fine  horse  over 
his  grounds,  and  sees  his  hands  at  work  in  the  dis 
tance.  The  overseer  comes  up  on  his  Creole  pony, 
and  reports  on  the  progress  of  the  crop.  This  is 
all  the  contact  between  the  planter  and  the  great 
majority  of  his  hands  from  one  year  to  another.  I 
went  into  a  negro  cabin  on  one  of  the  finest  estates 
on  the  river ;  and  the  old  uncle  told  me  he  had  been 
on  the  place  twenty  years,  and  his  master  had  never 
entered  his  door.  So  much  for  the  parental  inti 
macy  between  the  owner  and  the  owned.  The 
truth  is,  the  negro  and  the  mule  are  reckoned 
together.  If  both  are  tough  and  docile,  it  is  well  ; 
if  either  is  sick  and  dies,  it  is  so  much  money  out 
of  pocket.  That  is  all  the  master  cares  for  his 
chattel. 

The  negro  repays  this  galling  indifference  and 
this  slavery  by  a  quiet  animosity  against  all  white 
men.  He  always  hates  his  overseer,  and  considers 
that  he  has  done  a  good  thing  if  he  can  disturb 


THE   NEGRO.  173 

him  in  any  way.  He  dares  not  show  it  openly, 
because  the  lash  is  the  Consequence ;  but  once 
let  him  feel  that  he  has  the  power,  and  he  will 
show  the  planter  what  lie,  thinks  this  much-boasted 
parental  relation  is  worth.  Already  he  begins  to 
exhibit  his  indifference  ;  and,  in  order  to  get  the 
same  amount  of  work  out  of  him,  the  overseer, 
since  the  whip  has  been  prohibited,  is  compelled  to 
offer  all  kinds  of  small  inducements.  The  moment 
he  gets  into  a  passion,  and,  forgetting  that  it  is  '63, 
and  not  '61,  strikes  the  black  man,  down  go  the 
hoes  and  shovels  of  a  dozen  men,  who  stoutly 
protest  against  such  treatment ;  while  the  victim 
marches  off,  spite  of  all  entreaty,  to  the  nearest 
provost-marshal,  to  enter  a  complaint.  If  these 
men  are  not  ready  to  be  freemen,  they  at  least  show 
their  unfitness  to  be  slaves.  It  is  plain  enough  that 
they  chafe,  and  long  for  something  better. 

Again :  this  love  for  their  masters  is  shown  by  a 
couple  of  little  incidents,  for  the  truth  of  which  I 
am  able  to  vouch. 

Mr.  B 's  slaves  all  skedaddled  last  autumn, 

and  came  up  to  the  city.  After  some  time,  and  by 
a  prudent  expenditure  among  certain  officers,  most 
of  them  were  returned  to  his  plantation.  One  boy, 
however,  was  wanting.  He  was  a  valuable  hand, 
because  he  was  a  carpenter,  and  young  and  tough. 
After  searching  all  over  the  city  for  him  in  vain, 


174  THE   NEGRO. 

he  at  last  discovered  that  he  had  enlisted  in  one  of 
the  colored  regiments,  and  was  then  in  quarters  at 
the  Touro  Buildings.  He  went  there  at  once  j  and 
judge  of  his  surprise,  when,  on  entering  the  gate, 
he  saw  Joe  in  a  soldier's  suit,  with  an  Enfield  rifle 
in  his  hand,  marching  backwards  and  forwards, 
doing  duty  as  guard  !  Now,  had  it  been  a  white 
soldier,  he  would  have  politely  lifted  his  hat,  and 
asked  permission  to  pass.  This,  of  course,  he  could 
not  do  to  a  boy  he  had  paid  two  thousand  dollars 
for,  and  whom  he  had  been  accustomed  to  order 
about  as  he  chose.  Besides,  Joe  seemed  to  take  no 
notice  of  him.  Before  this,  if  the  boy  met  his  mas 
ter,  he  always  lifted  his  hat  j  but  now  he  marched 
back  and  forth  as  though  unconscious  that  a  South 
ern  gentleman  was  near  him,  his  fine,  stalwart  form 
shown  off  to  great  advantage  by  his  soldier-clothes. 

After  a  moment's  hesitation,  Mr.  B concluded 

to  run  guard.  It  was,  however,  a  signal  failure. 
The  bayonet  was  in  position  in  an  instant,  and  in 
dangerous  proximity  to  his  body. 

"  Why,  damn  it,  Joe  !  what  are  you  doing  ?  " 

"  Nobody  can't  pass,  sir,  widout  a  permit.  Dose 
my  orders,  sir." 

"  But  don't  you  know  me,  Joe  ?  I  have  business 
with  your  colonel." 

"  Can't  help  it,  sir,  —  must  obey  orders.  Fall 
back,  sir  ! " 


THE   NEGRO.  175 

Mr.  B then  tried  to  send  a  message  to  the 

colonel ;  but  it  was  impossible.  One  negro  would 
pretend  to  take  it,  and  come  back,  saying  the  colo 
nel  would  be  at  leisure  in  a  few  moments.  After 
waiting  a  half-hour,  another  negro  came  down 
stairs  with  the  message,  that  the  colonel  was  en 
gaged,  and  could  not  see  anybody.  Poor  Mr. 

B pocketed  the  insult,  saw  he  could  make 

no  headway,  and  went  off  cursing  all  negro  regi 
ments. 

Those  negroes  were  all  runaway  slaves.  They 
had  agreed  that  no  white  man  should  enter  the  gate, 
unless  he  had  on  a  uniform.  When  one  came,  they 
did  not  "master"  him :  it  was  "sir."  Oh, yes!  they 
undoubtedly  love  their  owners  ;  and,  when  in  their 
presence,  will  deliver  their  muskets  up  at  once, 
knowing  by  the  law  of  nature  that  they  are  the 
superior  race  ! 

Another  gentleman  found  a  favorite  slave  in  the 
same  regiment.  In  some  way,  he  managed  to  elude 
the  guard,  and  got  into  the  building  to  search  for 
his  chattel.  Pretty  soon  he  heard  a  very  sugges 
tive  whiz,  and  discovered  to  his  surprise  that  a 
respectable  cobble-stone  had  been  on  an  excursion. 
Thinking  nothing  of  it,  he  proceeded  on  his  way ; 
when  another  came  whizzing  by,  this  time  alto 
gether  too  close  for  comfort.  He  then  discovered 
that  he  was  himself  the  target,  and  that,  by  some 


176  THE   NEGRO. 

good  luck,  the  target  had  been  missed  twice.  Not 
caring  to  test  the  accuracy  of  negro  aim  a  third 
time,  he  began  a  masterly  retreat.  Before  he  got 
fairly  out  of  the  yard,  however,  he  was  the  victim 
of  a  pretty  serious  joke.  Little  and  big  stones 
dropped  close  to  him ;  all  sorts  of  filth  dropped  on 
him ;  and  he  concluded  that  hunting  up  slaves  who 
have  got  on  the  United-States  uniform  is  not  what 
some  people  may  think  it  is.  I  could  not  help 
drawing  another  conclusion  when  I  heard  the  story, 
for  the  victim  told  it  to  me  himself;  viz.,  that  after 
all  the  superfluous  rhetoric  about  the  patriarchal 
institution,  and  the  tender  affection  between  owner 
and  owned,  there  was  another  side  to  the  story,  — 
the  side  of  fact,  stern  and  inevitable,  which  shows 
us  the  slave  hating  his  master,  and  wanting  only 
the  opportunity  and  the  power  to  show  it. 

The  question  has  been  asked,  Will  the  negroes 
fight  ?  Wiseacres,  generally  negrophobes,  and 
members  of  the  copperhead  order  of  politicians, 
have  shaken  their  heads,  and  deduced  all  sorts  of 
d  priori  arguments  to  prove  that  they  are  all  cow 
ards.  Their  confreres  in  the  South  have  laughed 
the  scheme  to  scorn,  and  told  us  that  the  negro 
does  not  know  which  end  of  the  rifle  is  the  but, 
and  which  the  muzzle;  and  that  he  always  trembles 
when  a  gun  is  fired.  So  weighty  has  been  the 
logic  used,  that  the  people  have  kept  very  quiet  on 


THE   NEGRO.  177 

the  subject ;  feeling  that  it  is  like  thin  ice,  a  little 
dangerous  for  a  man  who  wants  to  keep  his  head 
above  water,  and  that  it  is  best  to  leave  it  to  take 
care  of  itself.  Only  a  few  fanatics,  who  never 
take  a  practical  view  of  any  subject,  have  sworn 
that  the  blacks  will  fight  as  well  as  white  men ; 
but  their  voices  have  not  been  heeded.  This  coma 
of  the  people,  at  last,  or  rather  at  first,  found  its 
way  into  the  White  House ;  and  he,  the  honest 
President,  who  always  wants  the  dear  people  to 
instruct  him  how  to  act,  concluded  that  a  kind 
Providence  would  make  the  suggestion  when  it 
was  time  to  act,  and  so  did  nothing.  A  few  black 
soldiers  were  enlisted  by  Gen.  Sherman,  who  re 
ceived  very  vague  orders  to  make  such  use  of 
negroes  as  he  saw  fit;  though  he  was  given  to 
understand,  that  he  was  not  to  arm  them  gene 
rally.  These  troops  very  soon  learned  which  was 
the  but,  and  which  the  muzzle,  of  the  rifle ;  and 
dressed  into  as  straight  a  line,  and  w^ent  through 
the  manual  as  accurately,  as  their  white  brethren. 
Still  no  impression  was  made  on  the  people.  Then 
Higginson,  with  his  regiment,  committed  all  sorts  of 
depredations  on  the  rebels ;  went  out  on  daring  re- 
connoissances,  had  pitched  battles  with  the  enemy, 
and  did  not  show  the  white  feather.  He  says,  "  The 
blacks  are  brave,  true,  soldierly,  and  uncondition 
ally  loyal." 

15 


178  THE   NEGRO. 

Then  there  have  been  numberless  instances  of 
personal  daring  and  heroism  which  ought  not  to  be 
forgotten.  I  have  a  servant  (Tom  Taylor),  black 
and  shiny  as  patent-leather,  who  was  present  at  the 
battle  of  Baton  Rouge,  and  behaved  splendidly. 
He  was  the  only  man  on  the  field  with  an  ambu 
lance.  He  caught  a  runaway  horse  and  buggy, 
and  drove  where  the  fight  was  thickest ;  and,  when 
a  soldier  fell,  he  took  him  in  his  arms,  placed  him 
in  his  buggy,  and  drove  him  to  the  hospital. 
This  he  continued  to  do  while  the  fight  lasted. 
Gen.  Dudley  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  his 
bravery,  and  said  he  did  good  service  on  that 
bloody  day. 

He  came  to  me  one  morning  in  great  heat,  and 
trembling  violently. 

"Why,  Tom,  what's  the  matter?" 

"  0  lieutenant !  my  old  master's  down  below,  an' 
I  'spec'  he  wants  me.  Now,  I  tell  you  what :  if  a 
white  man  acts  gallantly  on  de  field,  and  gives  eb- 
bery  ting  he  got  for  his  country,  de  people  all 
praise  him  ;  but,  if  a  black  man  does  the  same 
ting,  nobody  cares  a  cent.  Now,  I  did  all  I  could 
at  Baton  Rouge  ;  and  what  I  ought  to  have  is  my 
freedom." 

"  And  that,  Tom,  you  shall  have.  If  your  mas 
ter  comes  to  get  you,  I  will  most  assuredly  shoot 
him." 


THE   NEGRO.  179 

He  did  not  fear  rebel  bullets ;  but  at  thought  of 
his  master,  and  a  return  to  slavery,  his  joints 
gave  way,  and  he  muttered  and  stuttered  so  that  I 
could  hardly  understand  him. 

He  was  in  high  spirits  the  next  day,  as  cheery 
as  a  cricket,  and  made  a  characteristic  speech: 
"  Lieutenant,"  he  said,  "  de  ole  flag  neber  did  wave 
quite  right.  There  was  something  wrong  about 
it,  —  there  wasn't  any  star  in  it  for  the  black  man. 
Perhaps  there  was  in  those  you  made  in  de  North ; 
but,  when  they  got  down  here,  the  sun  was  so  hot, 
we  couldn't  see  it.  But,  since  the  war,  it's  all  right. 
The  black  man  has  his  star :  it  is  the  big  one  in  the 
middle."  Tom  is  a  rough  boy ;  but,  unconsciously, 
he  once  in  a  while  stumbles  upon  a  huge  fact. 

Gen.  Butler  told  the  truth  when  he  said  it  was 
because  the  negro  was  a  fighter  that  he  was  cap 
tured,  and  sold  into  slavery.  Had  he  been  a  stick, 
he  would  have  skulked  behind  a  tree  at  that  par 
ticular  time,  and  would  now  be  quietly  eating  his 
tropical  mush  under  the  shade  of  a  banana-tree  in 
the  Guinea  Coast. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  refer  to  historical  instances 
of  the  daring  of  the  blacks ;  to  tell  over  again  how 
they  fought  under  Toussaint  L'Overture,  until  the 
tried  troops  of  Napoleon  stood  still  ir»  astonishment, 
and  then  beat  a  hasty  retreat :  nor  is  it  necessary 
to  speak  of  those  forces  which  have  always  formed 


180  THE   NEGRO. 

a  part  of  every  European  corps  d'armee.  These 
facts  are  all  familiar,  and  even  trite  ;  and  they  seem 
to  produce  no  influence  whatever.  Either  our  pre 
judice  or  our  ignorance  is  so  mighty,  that  we  have 
predetermined  not  to  give  the  negroes  the  benefit 
of  the  doubt,  and  try  them.  "  Give  them  guns,  put 
them  into  the  field,  and  bring  them  up  into  line  of 
battle  in  front  of  those  who  have  been  in  the  habit 
of  commanding  them, — the  true  Southern  gentle 
men, —  and  they  will  throw  away  their  arms,  and 
flee  in  terror  like  so  many  monkeys."  That  is 
what  we  are  told  ;  and  we  more  than  half  be 
lieve  it. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Jones  has  published  what  he  thinks  — 
and  he  is  entirely  correct  in  his  estimate  —  is  a 
remarkable  book.  It  was  written  some  years  ago, 
and  pretends  to  give  a  transcript  of  some  of  the 
scenes  which  would  occur  if  a  civil  war  should 
ever  come  upon  us.  Among  other  subjects,  he,  of 
course,  has  something  to  say  of  the  negro,  —  not  in 
his  capacity  as  a  field  or  a  house  servant,  but  as  a 
soldier  enlisted  by  the  fanatic  North.  I  will  give 
his  own  words,  sure  that  they  will  explain  them 
selves  :  — 

"  Every  disposition  had  been  made  for  a  decisive 
battle  the  following  day ;  and  most  of  the  officers 
retired  early  to  their  couches  in  quest  of  repose. 
Gen.  Toler  alone  was  wakeful,  and  strode  to  and 


THE   NEGRO.  181 

fro  in  his  tent.  On  turning  once,  he  saw  the 
canvas  slightly  agitated.  He  paused,  and  gazed 
steadily ;  and,  a  moment  after,  the  following  words 
reached  his  ear  :  — 

"  Massa  John  !     Massa  John  !  " 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  demanded  the  general. 

"  It's  me,  Massa  John." 

"  And  who  the  devil's  me  ?  Let  me  see  your 
face." 

"  Don't  you  know  me,  Massa  John  ? "  asked  a 
very  black  negro,  creeping  under  the  canvas,  and 
rising  in  front  of  the  astonished  general. 

"  If  it  were  not  for  the  red  flannel  on  your  collar, 
and  epaulet  on  your  shoulder,  with  bright  but 
tons  and  sword,  I  should  say  you  were  my  slave 
Scipio." 

11  Dat's  it,  dat's  it,  Massa  John  ! "  said  the  negro. 
"  I  am  so  still,  dough  dey  call  me  Capt.  Scip.  I 
been  belonging  to  de  grand  army  under  Gen.  Fell." 

"  And  now  you  have  deserted  to  your  master, 
Scip  ?  " 

"  Not  dzactly  dat,  Massa  John :  but  d — n  if  1 
fight,  Massa  John  ;  and  dat's  de  way  all  de  niggers 
is  thinking  and  talking  too  !  " 

"  Ha !  is  that  so,  Scipio  ? "  asked  the  general 
quickly,  at  the  same  time  advancing,  and  grasp 
ing  the  hand  of  his  faithful  slave. 

"  It's  just  so,  Massa  John  !  "  replied  Scipio,  while 


182  THE   NEGRO. 

great  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks.  "  You  know  you 
learnt  me  to  read,  Massa  John  ?  Well,  I  got  one  of 
de  plocklamations  of  Gen.  Ruffleton," —  a  supposed 
rebel  general,  in  whom  the  negro  confides  naturally, 
—  "  which  says  we'se  all  to  be  slaves  in  de  North  as 
well  as  in  de  South.  I  had  it  and  kep  it  for  more 
dan  a  week,  and  read  it  every  night  by  de  pine 
knots  to  de  colored  captains,  till  I  got  through  wid 
em  all." 

«  You  did,  Scipio  ?  " 

"  Sartain,  Massa  John  !  De  niggers  ain't  'lowed 
to  be  higher  dan  captain.  But  all  de  captains  is 
been  splanin  de  plocklamation  to  de  men ;  and  now 
we'se  all  ready." 

"  Ready  for  what,  Scipio  ?  " 

"  To  break  up  and  go  home,  Massa  John,  and 
'tend  to  our  work  among  our  wifes  and  children." 

"  Is  that  so,  Scipio  ?  Why,  it  is  understood  Fell 
intends  to  lead  you  into  battle  to-morrow." 

"  I  know  dat,  Massa  John  !  We  said  he  must  let 
us  fight,  or  we'd  desart.  I  put  'em  all  up  to  dat, 
Massa  John  ;  and  now  all's  'ranged.  To-morrow,  all 
you'll  have  to  do  will  be  to  jus  gallop  your  white 
horse  right  up  to  us,  and  order  us  to  throw  down 
our  arms,  and  go  about  our  business.  Dat's  all !  " 

"  Scipio,  I  know  you  love  me.  We  were  boys 
together,  almost  like  brothers  "  (and,  indeed,  the 
slave  in  the  South  is  more  like  a  member  of  his 


THE    N  183 

master's  family  than  the  free  negro  of  the  North  is 
like  a  freeman).  "  Scipio,  I  shall  trust  you.  If  you 
deceive  me,  I  shall  perish,  and  my  death  will  weigh 
upon  your  conscience." 

"  Stop,  Massa  John  ;  you're  breaking  my  heart !" 
exclaimed  Scipio,  prostrating  himself,  and  embra 
cing  his  master's  knees.  "  But  if  Scipio's  'ceiving 
Massa  John,  dat  he  loves  so  much,  may  he  roast  in 
brimstone  fires  for  eber  and  eber !  " 

11 1  will  trust  you,  Scipio.  You  will  know  me 
by  my  white  horse,  which  you  trained  from  a  colt ; 
and  I  am  sure  he  would  know  you,  if  it  were  not 
for  your  military  trappings.  When  JOM  see  me 
approach,  contrive  to  be  near  the  spot  where  I 
shall  address  the  men." 

"  I'll  be  dar,  Massa  John,  —  never  fear  !  And 
all  de  captains  and  all  de  men  will  know  what's  to 
be  done.  I've  been  preparing  'em  !  Dey  all  un 
derstand.  De  white  horse'll  be  looked  for.  Ride 
right  up  to  us.  Nebber  mind  what  the  white 
soldiers  say ;  dey'll  think  you're  desartin." 

"  Scipio,  your  hand  !  If  this  scheme  of  yours 
succeeds  "  — 

"  Now,  don't  say  so,  Massa  John ;  don't  say  I 
shall  have  my  freedom.  I  want  to  be  wid  you  all 
your  life  ;  and  I  won't  be  free,  no  how  you  can  fix 
it." 

"  Then  farewell,  Scipio,  till  to-morrow  !  " 


184  THE   NEGRO. 

"  A  moment  after,  Scipio  disappeared ;  and  the 
general  resumed  his  promenade,  resolved  to  hazard 
every  thing  on  the  fidelity  of  his  slave. 

"  Early  in  the  morning,  Gen.  Fell  put  his  army 
in  motion,  and  Gen.  Toler  awaited  his  approach 
behind  the  breastworks  which  had  been  constructed 
the  day  before.  Not  a  shot  was  fired,  except  at  the 
extreme  left,  where  the  white  soldiers  engaged;  and 
these  formed  but  an  inconsiderable  portion  of  FelPs 
army.  On  the  black  mass  advanced,  maintaining 
an  ominous  silence.  The  white  officers  were  in  the 
rear,  urging  the  slaves  before  them  ;  while  Fell  him 
self  looked  on  in  amazement  from  a  neighboring 
hill.  No  smoke  arose  from  the  plain  ;  no  reports 
of  fire-arms  were  heard,  save  from  the  most  distant 
part  of  the  field. 

"  It  was  then  that  Gen.  Toler,  in  despite  of  remon- 
stances,  galloped  towards  the  interminable  array  of 
slaves  5  nor  did  he  pause  until  he  was  within  a  few 
paces  of  the  foremost  ranks,  and  not  a  shot  had 
been  fired  at  him. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  he  exclaimed  in  a 
loud  voice.  "  Why  are  you  in  arms  against  your 
masters  ?  I  tell  you,  the  Northern  abolitionists 
have  deceived  you.  They  are  determined  to  be 
your  masters  themselves ;  and  you  all  know  what 
hard  masters  the  Yankees  make.  Throw  down 
your  arms,  and  go  home,  and  I  will  forgive  you. 
Go,  I  say  !  " 


THE   NEGRO.  185 

"  Then  Scipio  rushed  out  of  the  ranks,  and  gave 
the  preconcerted  signal  j  and  the  sky  was  rent  with 
cheers  for  Gen.  Toler  and  the  South. 

"  They  threw  down  their  arms  ;  but,  a  moment 
after,  snatched  them  up  again,  and  demanded  to  be 
led  against  Fell,  who  had  deceived  them.'7 

This  certainly  is  a  remarkable  piece  of  light  lite 
rature.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  confrere  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
A.,  or  rather  his  competitor ;  for  the  struggle  with 
both  is  to  tell  a  lie  so  huge,  that  it  shall  look  like 
the  truth.  This  writer  of  light  literature  knew  per 
fectly  well,  that  a  Northerner  —  at  least  one  who 
was  likely  to  see  disagreeable  things  —  was  effect 
ually  tabooed  all  tours  of  investigation  or  pleasure 
south  of  Washington  by  the  prospect  of  tar  and 
other  unpleasant  and  odorous  appliances,  with 
which  the  chivalry  have  been  in  the  habit  of  treat 
ing  every  honest  man ;  and,  standing  within  the 
charmed  circle  himself  (he  is  probably  a  Yankee, 
who  has  married  a  plantation),  he  is  desirous  of 
instructing  the  outside  barbarians  how  they  treat 
the  animals  in  the  menagerie,  and  so  tells  us  what 
we  are  told  by  all  other  planters, —  that  the  owner 
makes  every  possible  effort  to  be  a  father  to  all  on 
his  estate ;  and  I  am  willing  to  take  his  own  testi 
mony,  and  admit,  that  his  labor  in  this  direction  is 
excessive,  and  that,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  he 
succeeds. 


186  THE   NEGRO. 

"  Who  does  the  best  his  circumstance  allows, 
Does  well,  acts  nobly:  angels  could  no  more." 

I  feel  sure  that  the  whole  community  of  South 
ern  gentlemen  were  delighted  with  this  publica 
tion.  They  laughed  in  their  sleeves  as  lie  after  lie 
rolled  up  on  each  successive  page,  and  wondered 
if  there  was  even  a  Northern  man  with  Southern 
feelings  who  would  be  deceived  by  it.  Neverthe 
less,  they  subscribed  largely  to  "  secretly  circulate  " 
this  "  political  and  inflammatory  document  "  among 
the  unenlightened  heathen  of  the  North.  Ah  !  Mr. 
Cartwright,  you  sold  all  your  honesty  and  manhood 
to  a  wealthy  parish  ;  and  poor,  dear  Mr.  Jones,  you 
filled  your  pockets  with  silver.  You  have  both 
done  very  well  in  this  world ;  for  your  strategy  has 
been  masterly.  But  I  fear  there  is  not  a  sensible 
school-boy  who  is  not  able  to  give  the  exact  lati 
tude  and  longitude  of  your  geographical  position 
in  the  hereafter  :  if  you  prefer  Dante,  it  will  be  at 
the  pole  ;  and,  if  you  have  an  affection  for  Milton,  it 
will  be  in  the  tropics. 

I  said  to  a  huge  negro  the  other  day,  — 

"  Tom,  they  tell  me  that  you  won't  fight  if  you 
do  enlist ;  and  that  you  love  your  masters  so  much, 
that,  the  moment  you  meet  them  on  the  battle-field, 
you  will  throw  down  your  own  arms,  and  rush  into 
theirs.  Is  that  so  ?  " 

He   was  leaning  against   a  gate-post,  with   his 


THE   NEGRO.  187 

arms  folded ;  but  he  straightened  up  at  my  ques 
tion,  and  his  dull  eye  flashed  as  he  replied,— 

"  Lieutenant,  I  know  dey  says  dese  tings ;  but 
dey  lies.  Our  masters  may  talk  now  all  dey  choose; 
but  one  ting's  sartin, —  dey  don't  dare  to  try  us. 
Jess  put  de  guns  into  our  hans,  and  you'll  soon  see 
dat  we  not  only  knows  how  to  shoot,  but  who  to 
shoot.  My  master  wouldn't  be  wuff  much  ef  I  was 
a  soldier." 

This  little  speech  of  Tom's  is  the  solid,  homely 
truth  of  the  matter.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  use 
such  forcible  or  expressive  language  ;  but  it  is 
just  what  I  have  meant  in  the  last  dozen  pages. 

Now  for  the  great  fact  of  the  matter,  —  the  fact 
of  the  war,  which  dashes  all  theories  of  Southern 
ers  and  copperheads  with  tears.  The  bubble  has 
been  shivered  into  a  thousand  atoms,  like  a  Prince 
Rupert's  glass,  by  the  storming  of  Port  Hudson. 
The  pluck  of  the  negro  as  a  soldier  was  fairly  tried 
there  in  one  of  the  hottest  charges  of  the  war. 
There  were  two  regiments  of  Louisiana  negroes  in 
the  right  wing  of  the  attacking  force.  Nobody 
trusted  them.  The  West-Point  generals  shirked 
the  responsibility  of  having  them  in  their  brigades. 
They  were  nothing  but  "nigger  regiments,"  —  the 
exponents  of  a  pet  idea  of  certain  crazy  people  in 
the  North.  The  Southerners  joined  in  the  chorus 
of  croakers,  and  sneered,  and  intimated  that  things 


188  THE   NEGRO. 

were  come  to  a  pretty  pass  when  we  put  guns  into 
the  hands  of  men  who  were  as  likely  to  shoot  them 
selves  as  any  one  else,  and  drew  them  up  in  line 
against  the  chivalry  of  the  South  ;  and  so  the  whole 
current  of  popular  feeling  was  against  them.  Still 
they  drilled  well  j  yes,  they  dressed  into  line  mag 
nificently,  —  a  stalwart,  heavy-chested  set  of  fel- 
IQWS  !  They  handled  their  muskets,  too,  in  very 
soldierly  fashion ;  but  it  was  only  by  resolutely 
stemming  the  tide,  by  the  most  independent  per 
sistence,  that  the  regiments  kept  their  position. 
When  first  formed,  they  were  laid  on  the  shelf. 
They  camped  in  the  mud  in  Algiers  or  Baton 
Rouge  eighteen  months,  rubbing  their  gun-barrels. 
At  last  came  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson.  Every 
man  was  needed  ;  and,  more  and  better,  Banks  had 
no  prejudice  against  color.  In  spite  of  some  oppo 
sition,  they  were  put  into  the  field  by  the  side  of 
white  soldiers.  They  were  quiet,  remaining  within 
their  camp-lines,  holding  their  little  meetings, 
hardly  ever  riotous,  seldom  drunk,  never  trespass 
ing  beyond  their  lines;  and  their  presence  was 
soon  forgotten. 

In  good  time,  the  morning  came  when  the  first 
assault  was  made.  The  distance  between  the  camp 
of  the  assaulting  party  and  the  works  of  the  enemy 
was  a  half-mile,  more  or  less.  The  ground  was 
ragged  and  broken,  full  of  gullies,  and  strewn  with 


THE   NEGRO.  189 

timber  placed  there  by  the  rebels  to  obstruct  our 
progress.  When  our  forces  got  near  enough  to  the 
fortifications,  they  had  to  sustain,  besides  the  direct 
fire  upon  their  front,  a  severe  enfilading  fire  from 
some  heavy  guns.  Altogether,  it  was  an  assault 
that  required  men  of  the  utmost  daring  and  pluck. 
The  charge  was  ordered.  The  negro  regiments 
advanced,  and  very  soon  came  into  the  grape  of 
the  foe.  They  had  never  smelt  powder  before  ;  but 
(their  officers  say)  there  was  an  eagerness,  a  wild, 
uncontrollable  enthusiasm,  about  them,  which  was 
quite  wonderful.  They  charged  directly  in  the 
face  of  the  storm  of  bullets,  square  up  to  the  ditch, 
which  is  on  this  side  the  earth-works,  and  six  feet 
deep  and  twenty  feet  wide.  They  were  most 
horridly  cut  up ;  yet  they  retired  in  good  order, 
and,  when  called  again  into  line,  answered  at  once. 
A  second  time,  on  the  double-quick,  they  rushed 
up  to  the  ditch,  and  again  fell  back.  They  were 
dressed  into  line  a  third  time,  and  advanced. 
"  When  within  a  few  rods  of  the  enemy's  works," 
said  one  of  their  officers,  "  they  became  perfectly 
uncontrollable.  We  could  not  keep  up  with  them. 
Their  eagerness  never  was  matched.  Instead  of 
cowardice,  they  seemed  to  have  no  conception  of 
fear.  The  ditch  troubled  them.  The  enemy, 
their  masters,  whom  they  love  so  dearly,  were 
beyond;  and  they  chafed  beyond  measure.  Just 


190  THE  NEGRO. 

then,  the  two  regiments  set  up  a  yell.  They  were 
close  to  the  foe.  It  was  a  sound  unlike  any  thing 
I  ever  heard,  —  a  wild,  unearthly  noise.  It  came 
across  me  at  the  time,  that  it  was  the  slavery  of  a 
thousand  years  finding  vent." 

The  vexed  question  is  settled  for  ever,  thank 
God !  The  commanding  general,  in  his  official  re 
port,  speaks  in  the  most  complimentary  way  of 
their  behavior.  They  have  fairly  won  a  name,  and 
won  it  by  undoubted  bravery.  If,  after  this,  we 
talk  of  negro  regiments  sneeringly,  we  are  to  be 
pitied  for  our  littleness,  and  despised  for  our  ig 
norance.  The  only  difficulty  to  be  found  with 
them  is  one  not  often  complained  of.  It  is,  that 
they  are  apt  to  go  too  far.  They  become  passion 
ate,  fearfully  excited,  and  their  officers  lose  control 
of  them.  In  battle  they  are  not  merciful.  So  com 
plete  is  their  hatred  of  the  rebels,  that  they  want 
to  exterminate  them.  It  would  hardly  do  to  put 
a  copperhead  general  over  a  brigade  of  negroes ; 
one,  for  instance,  like  that  worthy  of  the  Potomac 
army,  who  disgraced  a  lieutenant  the  other  day 
for  taking  a  chicken  from  a  secessionist,  and  who 
wants  to  fight  in  such  way,  that,  if  any  blood  is 
spilled,  it  shall  be  our  boys  who  bleed,  and  not 
the  traitors.  He  would  be  most  horridly  shocked 
to  see  the  way  in  which  the  negroes  go  into 
battle ;  and  would  surely  predict,  alas  !  that  the 


THE   NEGRO.  191 

end  of  the  war  was  close  at  hand.  One  thing  is 
certain:  it  will  be  a  most  unfortunate  thing  for 
our  "  erring  Southern  brethren "  when  we  con 
clude  to  do  what  we  ought  to  have  had  sense 
enough  to  do  a  year  and  a  half  ago,  —  recruit  all 
the  able-bodied  blacks  on  the  plantations,  in  every 
Southern  department,  and  then  send  our  own  boys 
home  to  keep  up  the  arts  of  peace,  and  do  such  a 
thriving  business  that  we  shall  not  feel  the  weight 
of  the  war-tax.  That  can  be  done ;  and,  when  it 
is  done,  we  shall  have  one  of  the  most  terrible 
forces  of  fighting  material  the  world  ever  saw.  I 
do  not  know  that  it  would  be  terrible  in  Mexico  or 
Europe,  or  against  any  other  foe.  But  I  am  will- 
ling  to  aver,  after  a  nine-months'  intimate  acquaint 
ance  with  thousands  of  negroes,  that,  between  them 
and  the  whites  of  the  South,  there  exists  a  most 
deadly  hostility.  It  is  the  natural  result  of  years 
of  slavery.  Let  the  planter  talk  as  he  pleases 
about  cowardice,  ignorance,  and  love  of  the  master. 
Put  a  good  gun  into  his  slave's  hands,  let  him  know 
that  he  will  be  protected,  and  you  may  stake  your 
life  that  he  will  make  a  bee-line  for  his  master's 
house,  with  bayonet  fixed ;  and,  when  he  comes 
out  of  the  door  again,  the,  same  man  does  not  own 
him. 

One  of  the  brightest  boys  now  before  Port  Hud 
son  I  brought  from  a  plantation  in  the  Teche,  and 


192  THE   NEGRO. 

put  into  the  army.  He  is  as  tough  as  a  pine-knot ; 
has  lived  out  of  doors  all  his  life ;  is  not  afraid  of 
chills  and  fever ;  has  never  been  attacked  with 
that  formidable  climatic  disease  called  debilitas, 
for  which  there  is  no  remedy,  but  which  yet  is 
actually  so  decimating  our  army,  that,  one  day,  two 
regiments  reported  for  duty,  respectively,  ninety 
men  and  sixty  men.  He  was  sitting  in  my  room 
one  day,  talking  of  the  army. 

"  Lieutenant,  why  don't  the  Union  people  kill 
more  ?  What  for  dey  take  any  prisoners  ?  Why 
don't  dey  sweep  'em,  like  as  with  a  broom  ?  then 
we'll  be  all  right,  and  can  commence  all  over 
again." 

"  Because,  George,  that  would  not  be  right." 

"  What !  not  right  to  kill  your  enemies  ?  I  tell 
you  what,  —  we  black  people  won't  be  troubled 
much  in  that  way." 

"  Why,  you  would  not  kill,  when  there  is  no 
need  ;  would  you  ?  " 

"  But  there  is  need.  The  Bible  says,  sweep  'em 
with  a  besom.  Clear  the  country.  There  is  no 
good  in  any  of  them.  You'se  too  merciful ! " 

"  Not  more  merciful,  George,  than  we  ought  to 
be.  I  fear  you  hate  all  the  Southerners." 

"  Of  course  I  do  !  "  And  he  turned  round  in  his 
chair,  as  though  surprised  that  I  thought  he  could 
do  any  thing  else.  "  Kill  'em  all  !  that  is  my 
motto." 


THE   NEGRO.  193 

"  George,  you  should  hate  nobody,"  I  said,  very 
tamely  indeed ;  for  I  knew  the  fellow  was  more 
than  half  right. 

"  0  lieutenant !  it's  very  well  for  you  to  talk  j 
you  can  afford  to :  you  haven't  got  any  thing  partic- 
'lar  against  themfokes.  Your  back  ain't  cut  up  "o& 
mine  is.  You  ain't  heard  screamiri1  wimmin,  and 
seen  the  blood  run  at  every  lick,  just  'cause  a  woman 
ivouldn't  leave  her  husband  and  sleep  with  the  over 
seer.  They  never  done  you  such  things  ;  but  I  could 
kill  'em  easy,  —  children,  wimmin,  and  all." 

This  is  a  fair  exhibition  of  the  real  feeling  be 
tween  the  slave  and  the  white  man. 

There  is  no  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  negro  can 
be  made  to  carry  on  this  war.  He  is  providentially 
placed  in  our  way  for  this  very  purpose.  Matters 
have  so  arranged  themselves,  that  he  can  be  the 
means,  after  we  have  tardily  and  half  mistrustfully 
told  him  he  is  free,  of  bringing  out  of  the  blood 
and  slaughter  of  these  years  the  new  Union ;  when 
the  country  shall  be  so  equalized,  that  the  New- 
Englander  can  go  to  Charleston,  and  say  what  he 
pleases  with  impunity;  and  when,  instead  of  sneer 
ing  at  our  free  schools,  the  Southerners  will  dot  the 
hillsides  and  plains  of  the  South  with  the  little  red 
ochre  roofs,  beneath  which  the  history  of  true 
republicanism  must  always  be  written.  God  grant 
that  we  may  not  blunder  in  this  thing  !  W.e  need 

16 


194  THE  NEGRO. 

our  boys  at  home,  and  we  can  have  them  here  as 
well  as  not.  We  need  the  negro  in  the  field ;  and, 
ever  since  the  war  broke  out,  he  has  been  beseech 
ing,  as  a  privilege,  that  he  might  fight  for  his  coun 
try.  Down  with  all  prejudice  !  it  has  kept  us  back 
long  enough.  Do  justice  to  others,  and  then  we 
shall  begin  to  see  the  end,  the  glorious  end,  where 
is  victory,  peace,  prosperity,  and  a  better  Union 
than  we  have  ever  had. 


CHARACTERS.  195 


CHAPTER    Y. 

CHARACTERS. 

I  THINK  it  is  very  generally  conceded  that  war 
is  not  only  a  terrible  evil,  but  also  a  terrible 
necessity.  To  be  sure,  the  race  has  reached  such  a 
point  of  culture,  that  the  love  of  mere  military  fame 
has  well-nigh  departed  from  our  history,  and  there 
is  not  the  same  satisfaction  which  the  heroes  of  the 
olden  time  seemed  to  feel  in  a  continuous  career  of 
bloodshed,  daring  exploits,  and  narrow  escapes. 
We  enter  upon  a  war  only  as  a  last  resort,  and  then 
with  the  greatest  reluctance.  Still,  in  our  own 
short  history,  reaching  back  some  two  centuries, 
we  have  had  four  wars,  which  were  felt  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  nation.  Almost  every  generation 
passes  through  an  experience  of  this  kind.  When  I 
was  younger,  and  eager  that  the  millennium  should 
be  reached  at  once,  I  felt  that  every  century  de 
creased  the  number  of  wars;  but  I  now  find  that 
the  chief  difference  between  the  nineteenth  century 
and  its  predecessors  lies  in  the  patent  fact,  that  our 
contests  are  sharper,  and  more  quickly  over.  This 
is  due  to  the  murderous  character  of  the  machinery 


196  CHARACTERS. 

used.  Years  ago,  two  armies  might  have  a  pitched 
battle,  and  struggle  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  leaving 
on  the  field  no  more  than  we  now  leave  after  a  hot 
fight  of  a  couple  of  hours. 

Nor  do  I  see  so  much  likelihood  that  the  time  will 
ever  come,  when  human  passions,  and  royal  and  pe 
dagogical  and  popular  caprice,  shall  be  so  subdued, 
and  human  interests  so  directed,  that  the  resort  to 
arms  will  not  be  thought  of.  Our  progress  in  this 
matter  has  been  so  slow,  and  war  seems  to  occupy 
so  prominent  and  important  a  position  in  history, 
that  I  find  my  time  better  employed  in  discovering 
the  uses  of  war,  than  in  seeking  evidence  of  its  very 
general  decrease.  These  "  offences  "  must  come  : 
it  is  in  the  nature  of  things  that  they  shall.  Un 
der  the  overruling  Providence,  the  crushing,  social 
avalanche,  leaving  death  and  desolation  in  its  track, 
undoubtedly  has  its  mission,  and  accomplishes  some 
great  good.  "  But  woe  unto  that  man  by  whom 
they  come  ! " 

I  know  the  terrible  war-storm  is  horrible.  Thou 
sands  of  homes  are  in  tears :  mothers  and  fathers 
are  praying  that  their  households  may  escape  the 
fiery  death-shaft.  The  eyes  ache  as  they  look  on 
the  vast  ruin,  and  the  heart  aches  as  it  recognizes 
the  necessity  of  such  wild  sorrow.  Society  is 
roughly  purged  of  its  evils;  but  when  the  storm 
is  over,  and  the  thundering  of  artillery  has  ceased, 


CHARACTERS.  197 

we  find  that  our  world  is,  after  all,  a  better  world. 
It  is  terrible  treatment ;  but  it  cures  us  of  all  our 
ills.  See  if  it  is  not  so. 

First,  Society,  which  was,  through  a  long  peace, 
sluggish,  careless,  and  dulled  by  long  prosperity, 
is  roused,  awakened,  and  completely  thrown  out  of 
its  old  life  into  a  new  one.  New  powers  are  devel 
oped,  and  a  better  knowledge  of  itself  is  gained. 
It  learns  to  estimate  its  blessings  more  justly,  and 
to  recognize  its  duties  more  acutely. 

Secondly j  The  men  who  controlled  society,  and 
who  had  begun  to  be  old,  conservative,  and  rusty, 
being  unable  to  meet  the  great  emergency,  are  all 
swept  away ;  and  the  tremendous  convulsion  gives 
birth  to  a  new  set  of  men ;  men  with  fresher  minds 
and  impulses  ;  men  eager,  because  they  have  young 
blood  in  them,  to  grapple  with  the  new  difficulties 
of  the  new  life. 

It  is  in  this  way  that  society  has  always  been 
remodelled.  In  a  long  peace,  men  shrink  up,  and 
become  selfish.  Every  thing,  even  literature 
arid  religion,  grows  stale  and  musty.  Nobleness 
narrows  to  meanness ;  chivalry,  to  cowardice ; 
and  the  greatest  and  best  aims  of  life  are  lost 
in  selfishness.  Iron-handed  war  is  our  great  phy 
sician. 

I  am  particularly  interested  in  some  of  the 
scenes  which  occur  while  the  convulsion  is  taking 


198  CHARACTERS. 

place.  How  beautifully  human  nature  uncovers 
itself,  and  displays  all  its  fair  proportions  and  all 
its  ugliness !  The  inmost  depths  of  the  soul  are 
opened  to  view.  Elements  of  character,  which  in 
peace  were  latent,  rise  at  once  to  the  surface.  In 
a  week,  ay,  in  a  day,  men  change  their  estimates 
of  themselves,  and  we  change  our  valuation  of 
them.  The  old  scales  and  the  old  rule  are  thrown 
out  of  doors  upon  the  heap  of  rubbish ;  for  the 
mere  feet  and  inches  high  of  one's  social  position, 
and  the  pounds  and  ounces  of  his  fortune,  no  longer 
make  a  man  great  or  little  in  our  estimation.  For 
the  nonce,  intrinsic  worth  alone  brings  honor 
and  the  love  of  the  people.  The  showy  shams, 
who  have  gilded  themselves  all  over,  and,  by  a 
peculiar  genius  for  wriggling,  have  worked  their 
way  up  so  high  that  their  folly  is  all  the  more  con 
spicuous,  come  tumbling  down  to  the  ground  with 
a  crash ;  while  the  modest  youth,  whose  only  care 
has  been  not  to  attract  attention,  is  pushed,  by  the 
actual  force  of  his  own  merit,  into  the  admiration 
of  society.  After  a  six-months'  campaign,  the 
little  ones,  whether  they  have  shoulder-straps  or 
not,  are  known  and  trusted  for  just  what  they  are, 
and  not  one  iota  more  ;  and  the  brave  ones,  pri 
vates  and  officers,  rise  to  the  proper  level  in  the 
estimation  of  the  regiment,  which  is  a  community 
whose  public  opinion  is  omnipotent. 


CHARACTERS.  199 

When  the  war  first  broke  out,  it  was  proposed 
in  town- meeting,  that  a  regiment  be  gathered 
from  the  young  men  of  the  county,  and  their  ser 
vices  tendered  to  the  Government.  Old  Mr.  Bagg, 
whose  blood  runs  sluggishly  enough  now,  and  who, 
of  course,  does  not  appreciate  this  generous  out- 
gush  of  enthusiasm,  opposed  the  motion.  He  did 
not  believe  in  war ;  first,  because  he  was  old, 
was  working  his  way  along  quietly  towards  the 
grave,  and  did  not  want  to  be  disturbed  by  torch 
light  processions,  fiery  speeches,  and  flaming 
articles  in  the  "  County  Gazette."  He  is  not  to 
blame  for  all  this.  It  is  one  of  the  legitimate 
consequences  of  growing  old.  Forty  years  ago, 
he  would  have  applied  at  once  for  a  commis 
sion,  and  gone  to  the  field  with  a  wildly  beating, 
eager  heart ;  but  forty  years  have  had  their  influ 
ence,  and  now  he  believes  in  peace  at  any  cost. 
Second,  he  did  not  believe  in  war,  —  though  he 
does  not  state  this  in  his  speech,  —  because  he  is 
doing  a  large  business,  which  will  be  seriously 
affected  by  the  loss  of  the  Southern  trade.  If  you 
should  tell  him  that  this  was  one  reason  why  he 
was  a  peace-man,  he  would  probably  feel  insulted ; 
for  it  may  be  that  he  is  not  aware  of  it  himself,  so 
subtly  do  a  man's  interests  influence  his  opinions. 
At  any  rate,  he  uses  strong  language  at  the  town- 
meeting,  is  hissed  by  the  young  men,  grows  red 


200  CHARACTERS. 

and  very  indignant ;  and,  from  the  moment  he  sits 
down,  he  firmly  believes  that  the  nation  is  insanely 
running  its  head  against  the  wall,  and  that  the  new 
generation,  who  are  taking  matters  into  their  own 
hands,  have  sadly  degenerated  from  the  standard 
of  their  fathers.  He  is  supported  in  his  position 
by  a  dozen  or  a  score  of  white-headed  men,  who 
have  not  been  able  to  keep  up  with  the  times  ;  and 
by  a  dozen  young  men,  whose  conservatism  indi 
cates  the  presence  of  some  physical  disease,  and 
who  should  at  once  be  confined  to  the  hospital, 
and  dosed  until  their  blood  runs  faster.  These  men 
form  a  clique  j  and,  while  the  war  lasts,  they  will 
stand  aloof,  and  grumble.  Every  defeat  they 
will  chuckle  over,  and  every  victory  they  will 
sneer  at.  They  are  a  constant  irritation,  and  a 
perpetual  nuisance  :  still,  the  best  way  is  to  let 
them  talk  freely,  and  make  no  reply.  Pray,  don't 
fall  into  error,  and  convene  an  indignation  meet 
ing,  and  vote  to  ride  them  on  a  rail.  This  will 
never  do.  You  are  five  hundred,  and  they  are 
fifty ;  and  I  remember  the  impulsive  generosity  in 
the  great  public  heart.  If  you  proceed  to  ex 
tremes,  you  will  only  make  them  conspicuous,  and 
excite  pity  for  them,  and  convert  them  into  mar 
tyrs  ;  in  which  case,  the  chances  are  that  they 
will  run  for  one  of  the  town-offices  the  next 
year,  and  get  into  a  place  where  they  can  do  you 


CHARACTERS.  201 

harm.     Let  them  alone,  and  they  will  die  a  natural 
death. 

By  an  overwhelming  majority,  it  is  voted  to 
raise  the  regiment ;  and,  in  thirty  days,  the  thing 
is  done.  But  matters  do  not  run  quite  smoothly. 
The  colonel  is  just  the  man  to  command  a  large 
body  of  soldiers.  He  has  a  splendid  figure,  looks 
like  a  brigadier  in  his  uniform,  and  made  a  thou 
sand  rousing  speeches,  that  caused  all  the  youths 
to  shout,  and  all  the  young  girls  to  clap  their  little 
gloved  hands  with  delight.  He  will,  undoubtedly, 
do  himself  and  the  country  great  credit.  The 
lieutenant- colonel  —  Heaven  only  knows  how  he 
got  his  commission  —  is  quiet,  modest  Mr.  Tagg, 
who  never  went  to  parties,  but  was  always  moping 
over  his  books,  —  the  very  last  man  who  should 
go  into  the  field.  A  great  many  wise  men  shake 
their  heads,  and  feel  that  he  is  one  of  the  unfortu 
nate  appointments.  Then  there  is  Capt.  Blunt,  who 
has  always  had  a  reputation  for  courage,  and 
who  has  told  large  stories  of  his  brave  deeds  in 
the  woods,  among  the  wolves  and  panthers.  When 
he  gets  hold  of  the  rebels,  there  will  be  warm 
work.  He  will  come  home  all  covered  with  blood, 
powder-stains,  and  glory.  But  there  is  Capt.  Rack, 
of  whom  little  is  expected.  He  was  the  vil 
lage  dandy.  He  always  wore  spotless  linen  and 
gloves.  His  hair  was  never  out  of  order,  and  his 

17 


202  CHARACTERS. 

handkerchief  was  always  redolent  of  some  sweet 
perfume.  How  the  young  ladies  can  spare  him,  no 
one  knows ;  and  how  he  can  deprive  himself  of 
their  society,  is  an  equal  mystery.  But  there  he 
stands,  fearfully  tidy,  in  front  of  his  company ; 
while  the  old  men  look  at  him  with  a  kind  of  dis 
gust,  and  bet  that  he  will  fall  to  the  rear  when  the 
first  musket  is  fired. 

And  so,  throughout  the  regiment,  the  officers 
have  all  been  gained  by  the  usual  amount  of  wire 
pulling,  and  proper  and  prudent  expenditure  of 
small  and  large  sums  of  money.  The  villagers 
have  formed  their  opinion  of  each,  and  feel  sure 
that  the  said  opinion  is  correct.  A  thousand  un 
tried  men,  who  are  to  enter  a  new  field,  to  walk 
through  a  fiery  furnace  which  will  surely  try  the 
inmost  soul  of  each,  stand  there,  dressed  into  line, 
with  bright  buttons,  muskets,  and  swords ;  while 
maidens,  mothers,  fathers,  and  wives  look  on  with 
mingled  pride  and  sadness. 

At  length,  they  are  in  the  field.  There  are  no 
tents  now,  and  only  hard-tack  and  coffee  for  food. 
They  are  to  sleep  under  the  trees  or  in  the  bushes  ; 
and,  to-morrow,  they  are  to  charge  the  enemy's 
works.  Those  works  are  on  the  other  edge  of  the 
plain,  right  ahead  of  them ;  and,  every  once  in  a 
while,  a  quart  of  grape  comes  whistling  through 
the  woods,  and  more  than  once  the  sharpshooters 


CHARACTERS.  203 

have  picked  off  a  man.  They  have  been  in  the 
service  six  months  ;  but  they  have  never  smelt 
powder  before. 

The  next  morning  comes ;  and,  with  three  other 
regiments,  they  are  formed  into  line  of  battle,  and 
commence  the  approach.  The  fire  in  the  furnace 
is  growing  hot  now.  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  the 
ordeal.  What  is  in  the  men's  souls  will  certainly 
be  forced  out.  The  enemy  says  nothing;  for  he 
has  no  powder  to  lose.  You  will  hear  from  him 
soon.  On  they  march,  —  tramp,  tramp,  tramp  ;  and 
when  within  fifty  rods,  just  as  the  order  to  double- 
quick  is  given,  whiz,  whiz,  come  the  leaden  ounces, 
and  rut,  rut,  comes  the  grape  by  the  half-bushel.  A 
dozen,  twenty,  fifty,  ay,  a  hundred,  fall.  Now,  then, 
where's  that  colonel  who  looked  so  like  a  briga 
dier  ?  You  may  look  twice,  and  not  find  him.  He 
has  been  having  symptoms  of  the  colic  for  the  last 
three  days,  and  this  morning  it  came  on  with  tre 
mendous  force.  You  will  find  him  on  his  back, 
under  a  tree,  just  out  of  range  of  the  enemy's 
guns  ;  and,  until  he  sees  you,  he  is  very  quiet. 
But  such  is  the  nature  of  his  disease,  that,  the 
moment  you  approach,  he  applies  both  hands  to  the 
stomachic  regions,  and  utters  such  piteous  groans, 
that,  unless  you  are  an  old  soldier,  you  will  proba 
bly  waste  a  half-hour  sitting  by  his  side  and  com 
forting  him.  He  groans  out  in  intervals,  "  It's  too 


204  CHARACTERS. 

bad  — just  as  we  were  —  going  to  have  a  fight !    If 
I  was  only  "  —  (here  a  double-headed  groan)  — 
"well  —  I  would  like  to  make  these  fellows  —  feel 
my  sword." 

Well,  where  is  modest  Mr.  Tagg  ?  He  is  not  a 
man  of  words  ;  but  the  boys  all  like  him.  He  has 
been  kind,  strict,  and  considerate,  and  has  done 
all  he  could  for  the  command.  You  will  find  him 
at  the  head  of  his  regiment ;  and  when  the  line 
breaks,  because  the  balls  come  like  a  shower,  he 
quietly  walks  along  its  whole  length,  saying  a  few 
kind  words,  which  thrill  his  men,  and  compel  them 
to  follow  wherever  he  will  lead.  His  quick  eye 
notes  at  once  the  absentees.  Away  back  there, 
he  sees  Capt.  Blunt,  who  has  fought  so  many 
panthers,  lying  snugly  on  the  ground,  determined 
not  to  be  killed  this  time,  and  complaining  of  a 
sun-stroke,  though  the  sun  has  not  been  up  an 
hour.  And  that  village  dandy  —  how  slovenly  he 
looks  !  He  is  a  dirty  fellow,  and  white  gloves 
would  look  very  badly  on  his  hands  now ;  but  he 
is  a  plucky  boy,  and  has  got  a  blazing  fire  in  his 
eye  and  in  his  heart.  His  company  will  fight. 
They  laughed  at  first ;  but  that's  all  over,  and  now 
they  are  ready  to  take  their  captain  in  their  arms. 
They  trust  him  perfectly.  He  is  in  the  right  place 
at  last. 

And  so  it  is  throughout  the  regiment.     When 


CHARACTERS.  205 

the  two  hours  of  fighting  are  over,  the  courage, 
the  mettle,  of  each  man  is  settled  for  ever ;  and 
such  a  climbing-up  of  new  idols,  and  pull  ing-down 
of  old  ones,  never  was  seen.  Captains  and  colonels 
are  proved  not  to  be  fit  for  privates  ;  and  corporals 
and  privates  have  shown  themselves  plucky,  calm, 
splendid  soldiers.  The  regiment  all  know  who  is 
big,  and  who  little,  after  that ;  and  their  estimate 
is  not  quite  like  that  of  the  villagers,  as  they  stood 
in  line  on  the  green  in  front  of  their  homes.  They 
know  why  the  colonel  had  the  colic ;  and  that  man 
can  never  control  them  again.  Tagg  is  their  mas 
ter  ;  and,  when  he  nods,  they  obey.  Capt.  Blunt 
don't  tell  any  more  panther  stories ;  or  if,  by  an 
unlucky  chance,  he  begins  one,  some  innuendo  puts 
a  sudden  stop  to  his  nonsense.  That  two-hours' 
fight  was  like  a  sieve  into  which  a  shovelful  of 
gravel  had  been  thrown.  The  sieve  was  most  ter 
ribly  shaken ;  and,  do  what  it  would,  the  sand  fell 
through,  and  only  the  pebbles  remained. 

It  is  very  curious  to  note  the  diseases  with  which 
certain  soldiers  are  afflicted  when  the  news  of  an  im 
pending  battle  comes.  While  some  who  are  in  the 
hospital  insist  upon  joining  their  regiments,  others, 
seemingly  healthy  and  robust,  insist  upon  occupy 
ing  the  bedsteads  emptied.  I  think  there  must  be 
something  deleterious  in  the  air :  for  these  most 
alarming  symptoms  appear ;  and  the  patient  who 


206  CHARACTERS. 

yesterday  was  bullying  the  men  of  his  squad  has 
put  on  the  most  lugubrious  face,  and  looks  as  though 
the  smallest  youth  in  the  company  might  knock  him 
over  with  impunity.  He  has  a  terrible  pain  in  his 
right  arm,  and  has  dropped  his  musket  three  times 
while  on  drill ;  and  then,  again,  he  has  a  very  queer 
feeling  in  his  legs,  and  sometimes  his  knees  will 
shake  so  that  he  can  hardly  stand  up.  Poor  fellow ! 
If  you  judge  of  his  sickness  by  the  length  of  his 
face  and  his  piteous  tones,  you  would  order  the 
company-carpenter  to  make  a  pine  box  at  once.  If 
the  surgeon  has  just  been  enlisted,  and  is  a  little 
verdant,  he  will  probably  dose  the  boy  for  the  next 
three  days,  and  congratulate  himself  at  the  end  of 
that  time,  when  the  battle  is  over,  on  his  skill  in 
reaching  and  removing  disease.  If  he  has  been  a 
surgeon  before,  he  will  either  report  the  man  as 
a  shirk,  and  see  that  he  is  put  in  the  front  rank  on 
the  morrow;  or  else,  in  the  kindness  of  his  heart, 
will  recommend  a  few  days  of  perfect  quiet  in  the 
hospital,  his  rations  to  be  corn-meal  gruel  three 
times  a  day,  and  a  blue  pill  every  night.  But  what 
are  three  blue  pills  to  an  ounce  of  lead  ?  To  be 
sure,  in  the  aggregate,  blue  pills  have  killed  more 
than  the  lead :  but  these  particular  three  will  do  no 
harm;  for  the  cunning  dog,  who  knows  his  own 
disease,  the  moment  the  nurse's  back  is  turned, 
quietly  disposes  of  the  deadly  ball  by  throwing  it 
out  of  the  window. 


CHARACTERS.  207 

There  is  another  class  of  men  who  go  to  the  war, 
though  not  to  fight,  who  ought  to  be  noticed. 
When  the  column  is  formed,  they  are  always  in 
their  places ;  but,  when  the  grape  comes,  they  are 
to  be  found  in  the  rear  with  a  sprained  ankle,  or 
terribly  overcome  by  fatigue,  or  sitting  behind  a 
thick  stump,  fixing  some  part  of  the  gun,  which  got 
out  of  order  when  the  enemy  fired  the  first  shot, 
and  which  will  not  get  into  order  again  until  the 
retreat  is  sounded,  when  its  bearer  will  lead  the  ad 
vance  ;  or,  again,  until  the  shout  of  victory  rends 
the  air,  when  he  will  be  found  among  his  comrades, 
perspiring  freely,  and  telling  of  the  way  in  which 
he  dropped  one  big  rebel,  who  would  certainly  have 
killed  him  if  he  had  not  —  "  Retreated  behind  a 
stump/'  says  a  little  noiseless  fairy  —  drawn  a  bead 
on  him  just  as  he  did.  There  are  always  fifteen  or 
twenty  such  fellows  in  a  regiment,  whose  rhetoric, 
when  they  are  at  home,  is  of  the  most  marvellous 
order ;  who  make  themselves  the  means  of  many  a 
wretch's  death ;  but  who  take  precious  care  not  to 
get  near  enough  to  the  enemy,  to  do  any  damage, 
or  to  be  damaged.  They  are  disciples  of  Butler, 
believing  that  he  was  a  logician  and  a  philanthro 
pist  when  he  wrote,  — 

"  Those  that  fly  may  fight  again; 
Which  he  can  never  do  that's  slain : 
Hence  timely  running's  no  mean  part 
Of  conduct  in  the  martial  art." 


208  CHAEACTERS. 

If  a  man  who  talks  of  the  war  tells  you  large 
stories,  you  may  put  it  down  as  a  mathematical  cer 
tainty,  that  he  kept  out  of  range  of  the  enemy's 
guns.  There  is  something  so  terrible  in  a  battle, 
the  shock  to  the  nervous  system  is  so  great,  that 
he  who  has  been  in  the  thick  fight  seldom  prates  of 
it,  never  jests  at  it. 

"He  jests  at  scars  who  never  felt  a  wound." 

There  is  another  large  class  of  persons  who  are 
thrown  to  the  surface  by  the  war :  I  mean  the 
vampires.  These  make  a  numerous  family,  and  are 
of  all  possible  sizes  ;  some  sucking  only  a  few  drops 
of  blood,  and  others  filling  themselves  to  repletion. 
They  are  an  anomalous  race,  and  have  full  swing 
for  their  propensities,  only  when  society  is  in  confu 
sion.  They  are  to  be  dreaded,  and  to  be  hated  ;  for 
they  have  souls  so  small,  that  the  angePs  micro 
scope  will  hardly  discover  them ;  and  so  mean  and 
corrupt,  that  resurrection  will  be  simply  an  act 
of  mercy.  I  have  had  occasion  to  watch  this  thrifty 
family,  —  the  direct  descendants  of  the  unrepent 
ant  thief,  —  and  am  surprised  at  the  vast  number 
engaged,  in  and  out  of  the  army,  in  cheating.  The 
actual  first  cost  of  subsisting  our  army,  and  of  the 
war,  is  only  about  one-fifth  of  the  amount  stated  as 
the  national  debt.  The  remaining  four-fifths,  on 
which  rich  and  poor  have  to  pay  taxes,  is  found  in 


CHARACTERS.  209 

the  splendid  equipages  which  fill  Central  Park,  and 
in  the  grand  houses  of  those  who  were  glad  enough, 
two  years  ago,  to  make  both  ends  meet  in  a  quiet 
house  in  a  side-street.  The  stricken  country  begged 
for  help,  and  appealed  to  the  manhood  of  those 
whom  she  had  blessed.  Then,  out  of  every  thou 
sand  who  with  true  chivalry  emptied  their  purses 
into  the  treasury,  and  offered  their  lives,  if  they 
were  needed,  there  were  ten  so  mean  and  dastard 
ly,  that,  while  they  were  counting  their  gold,  they 
slipped,  at  every  opportunity,  a  handful  into  their 
own  pockets.  I  long  for  one  wholesome  hour  of 
absolute  despotism.  I  pray  for  a  man  who  shall 
decree,  that  it  is  an  unpardonable  crime  to  make  a 
dollar  out  of  a  Government  contract ;  and  who  will 
catch  the  first  wrong-doer,  and  hang  him  high  as 
Haman.  If  we  were  Russians,  and  were  conscious 
of  an  antagonism  between  ourselves  and  the  work 
ing  head,  who  was  prosecuting  a  war  for  his  own 
benefit  or  glory,  there  might  be  some  excuse  for 
speculation :  but  in  a  country  where  the  Govern 
ment  is  all  the  people  can  ask,  —  is,  indeed,  just 
what  the  people  themselves  have  made  it ;  whose 
inhabitants  are  fighting  for  a  continuance  of  those 
blessings  which  have  been  invaded  by  an  enemy 
ruthless  and  anti-democratic,  —  it  is  an  infinite 
crime  for  A to  make  a  million  dollars,  and  com 
pel  you  and  me  to  contribute  our  share  towards  its 


210.  CHARACTERS. 

payment.  He  gives  nothing,  but  sucks  from  the 
treasury  a  million  dollars.  You  give  your  son,  and 
I  myself,  to  the  war.  We  both  make  terrible 
sacrifices,  and  run  great  risks ;  and  yet,  when  the 
war  is  over,  and  your  son  is  dead,  and  my  health 
gone,  this  Mr.  A— —  quietly  tells  us,  that,  of  the 
aggregate  of  the  national  debt,  he  has  in  his  own 
plethoric  purse  a  huge  amount,  and  that  you  and 
I  must  help  support  his  blood-horses,  and  pay  for 
his  rich  carpets  and  furniture.  These  are  the  ter 
rible  inequalities  of  war.  It  is  a  constant  struggle, 
not  merely  between  the  two  contending  armies,  but 
also  between  those  who  are  patriots,  and  who  pray 
for  vigor  and  decision  on  the  part  of  all  officers,  and 
these  fiends  who  would  prolong  the  contest,  caring 
neither  for  life  nor  liberty,  if  only  they  can  enrich 
themselves. 

Nine  months  ago,  I  was  young,  and  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  these  croakings  of  corruption  ;  but  now  I  am 
older,  and,  were  ours  a  common  war,  I  should  be 
so  filled  with  disgust,  that  I  should  stoutly  assert 
the  total  depravity  of  man.  We  are  completely 
honeycombed  by  money-makers.  There  is  no  mili 
tary  office  whose  salary  represents  the  income  of 
the  incumbent.  By  just  nicking  the  conscience, 
turning  the  head  to  one  side,  saying,  "Poh,  non 
sense  ! "  when  a  sensible  man  comes  to  complain  of 
a  great  outrage,  the  perquisites  roll  up  in  size  to  a 


CHARACTERS.  211 

fearful  bulk  ;  and  at  every  door,  from  the  highest 
office  to  the  lowest,  there  stands  a  villain,  who  is 
willing  to  pay  for  the  favor  granted  any  amount 
from  five  to  five  thousand  dollars,  according  to  the 
rank  of  the  officer  and  the  nature  of  the  favor. 

But,  when  I  grow  sick  at  heart  as  these  things 
come  to  my  knowledge  one  by  one,  I  turn  with 
mingled  wonder  and  pride  to  the  great,  the  glorious 
American  people.  They  have  never  once  refused 
Government  any  thing.  They  have  never  asked 
the  President  to  be  economical.  They  have  heaped 
about  him  their  gold,  assuring  him  that  they  have 
plenty  more  when  that  is  all  spent.  They  have 
always  had  an  infinite  trust  in  Providence  ;  believ 
ing,  never  doubting,  that  victory  will  crown  our 
efforts  at  last.  They  have,  without  a  murmur, 
borne  eighteen  months  of  successive  defeats ; 
and,  with  heroic  patience,  waited  for  the  dawn  of 
better  times.  They  have  given  their  most  talented 
sons  to  stand  side  by  side  in  the  ranks  with  those 
of  poorer  birth,  knowing  that,  in  the  hour  of  dan 
ger,  we  are  all  equal ;  and  though,  through  the 
mismanagement  and  copperheadism  of  some  of  our 
generals,  many  thousand  homes  have  been  filled 
with  weeping,  no  one  has  asked  for  peace,  unless  it 
be  a  peace  based  upon  the  unconditional  surrender 
of  every  rebel  flag.  America,  to-day,  presents  a 
magnificent  sight.  All  her  people  read  and  think : 


212  CHARACTERS. 

they  are  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  contest, 
and  they  are  ready  and  willing  to  make  every 
sacrifice.  They  deserve  the  victory  ;  and  in  good 
time  it  will  surely  come. 

I  have  been  so  much  interested  in  the  proceed 
ings  of  this  family  of  vampires,  that  I  have  spent 
a  great  deal  of  time  in  watching  their  skilful  plans, 
and  admiring  the  genius  they  so  brilliantly  display. 
Their  strategy  is  perfect  j  their  patriotism  is  so 
heavily  plated,  that  most  men  are  deceived  thereby; 
and  their  success  is  so  complete,  that  the  pockets 
with  which  they  commenced  operations  are  now  so 
well  lined,  that  the  proprietor  can  buy  the  best  pew 
in  the  up-town  church,  and  drive  his  dog-cart,  with 
a  servant  in  livery  to  attend  his  slightest  wish ; 
while  a  host  of  friends  on  the  street  smile  as  he 
passes,  though  they  laugh  when  he  has  gone  by. 

The  first  of  the  family  is  Burly  Yampire,  Esq., 
who  lives  in  a  splendid  chateau,  just  out  of  the 
city.  In  the  first  year  of  the  war,  he  offered  to  sell 
his  fine  estate,  and  put  the  whole  bushel  of  gold 
into  the  public  treasury.  We  all  looked  on  in  won 
der.  Yampire  must  have  greatly  changed  to  do 
such  a  noble  thing.  His  gray  hairs  have  made  him 
patriotic.  Government  smiled  upon  the  gift  and 
the  donor  •  and  the  next  year,  when  an  expedition 
was  to  be  fitted  out,  and  a  hundred  vessels  were 
needed  for  transportation,  Yampire,  Esq.,  said  at 


CHARACTERS.  213 

once,  that  they  could  be  furnished,  and  without  de 
lay.  It  was  a  huge  transaction  ;  and  cost  such  a 
vast  sum  of  money,  that  an  extra  bill  of  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  would  not  have  caused  any  par 
ticular  alarm. 

Now,  as  Yampire  sold  his  estate,  and  gave  the 
proceeds  to  Government,  thus  showing  disinterested 
patriotism,  it  was  to  be  supposed  that  he  would 
aid  the  Administration  in  this  work,  charging 
only  a  reasonable  sum  for  his  services.  The  logic 
is  good.  When  you  think  of  it,  it  seems  very 
reasonable. 

But  look  sharply,  and  I  will  show  you  a  trick.  It 
is  no  easy  work  to  find  a  hundred  good  vessels;  yet, 
on  the  fixed  day,  they  were  all  floating  in  the  harbor, 
ready  to  receive  our  boys.  How  is  it,  though,  that 
so  many  of  them  were  old  worn-out  hulks  ?  They 
did  not  look  as  though  they  would  float  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  without  constant  work  at  the  pumps. 
Did  our  boys  not  deserve  good  accommodations  on 
their  voyage  to  the  field  of  peril  and  death?  or  were 
there  no  stanch  craft  to  be  hired?  It  seemed  as 
though  all  the  ragged  ends  of  the  marine  had  been 
gathered  together.  Still,  twenty-five  thousand  men 
embarked,  and  put  out  to  sea,  hopeful  and  happy. 
The  land,  however,  was  hardly  lost  sight  of  before 
a  dozen  of  these  craft  leaked  like  sieves.  The 
water  oozed  through  the  rotten  plank ;  and,  every 


214  CHARACTERS. 

time  a  wave  struck  them,  they  trembled  and  shook 
like  a  palsied  old  man  when  jostled  by  a  full-blooded 
youth. 

The  soldiers  were  disheartened  at  once.  The 
moral  depression  of  such  an  incident  is  incalcula 
ble.  Soldiers  are  not  brutes :  they  are  men.  If 
they  are  men,  they  have  a  right  to  expect  that  Gov 
ernment  will  pay  some  regard  to  their  safety.  The 
demoralization  commenced  then  and  there,  which 
lasted  all  through  the  campaign.  One  of  the  ves 
sels  put  into  port  before  she  was  thirty-six  hours 
out;  and,  when  that  vessel  anchored,  she  never 
summoned  strength  enough  to  put  to  sea  again. 
Our  boys  were  sea-sick,  huddled  together  like  pigs, 
and  at  last  germinated  an  epidemic.  They  were 
detained  thirty  days  before  they  could  get  proper 
transportation.  Other  craft  in  the  fleet  put  in  at 
Fortress  Monroe,  and  the  troops  were  detained  six 
weeks  doing  nothing.  Still  others  made  for  Port 
Royal  j  and  so  on,  all  along  the  coast. 

The  quiet  man,  while  sipping  his  coifee  of  a  morn 
ing,  asks  how  Government,  which  pays  the  highest 
price  for  every  thing,  could  be  gulled  so  fearfully. 
I  answer,  Easily  enough ;  and,  if  you  will  just  step 
behind  the  curtain,  I  will  show  you  the  secret.  Mr. 
Yampire  agreed  to  furnish,  for  purposes  of  trans 
portation,  a  hundred  vessels.  Rich  as  he  was,  he 
owned  but  a  dozen  ;  and  so  was  compelled  to  look 


CHARACTERS.  215 

about,  and  find  others.  Now,  it  so  happened  that 
certain  gentlemen,  who  were  in  possession  of  ves 
sels  which  had  fairly  run  their  race,  grown  old  and 
leaky  in  the  service,  being  desirous  of  turning  an 
honest  penny,  had  their  rotten  craft  overhauled, 
the  very  worst  timbers  (those  which  yield  to  the 
pressure  of  your  finger,  like  a  sponge)  removed, 
and  others  substituted.  Then  they  furnished  them 
with  a  new  coat  of  paint  and  new  rigging,  until,  to 
the  eye,  they  looked  quite  young  again.  And  so 
they  were  in  fresh  water,  or  while  riding  at  anchor  ; 
but  when  out  at  sea,  bending  to  a  strong  north 
easter,  their  old  joints  cracked  and  groaned,  and 
the  chances  were  that  the  six  hundred  soldiers  on 
board  would  never  see  land  again.  Well,  these 
amiable  proprietors  of  defunct  craft  varnished  into 
seeming  life  made  an  attack  on  the  authorities  at 
Washington,  offering  to  loan  their  vessels  for  the 
very  moderate  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars  per 
day.  With  an  acuteness  which  is  not  noticed  in 
every  department,  the  official  besieged  sent  a  com 
mittee  to  examine  the  vessels.  Before  he  went  on 
board,  a  large-sized  and  exceedingly  tempting  green 
back  was  offered,  as  a  token  of  friendly  regard,  to 
the  inspector.  But  he,  being  a  rara  avis  (if  Dio 
genes  had  met  him,  he  would  have  blown  his  light 
out  at  once,  and  embraced  him),  had  the  audacity 
to  refuse  the  bribe,  and,  going  on  board,  did  his 


216  CHARACTERS. 

duty.  The  vessels  were  not  accepted.  They  were 
regarded  as  unseaworthy ;  and  the  proprietors  had 
varnished  their  craft  in  vain. 

When  it  was  known,  however,  that  Vampire, 
Esq.,  had  a  contract  to  furnish  a  hundred  vessels, 
they  made  a  second  attempt.  They  besieged  his 
counting-room,  where  he  sat  in  state  ;  they  told  him 
that  their  craft  were  just  seven  years  old  next 
spring:  but  he  knew  every  vessel  on  the  coast;  and 
knew  their  owners,  and  what  they  had  been  doing, 
and  that  they  had  met  with  a  rebuff  at  Washington. 
It  did  not  take  the  two  parties  long  to  come  down 
from  rhetoric  to  plain  matters  of  fact.  Govern 
ment  would  pay  him  for  their  craft  three  hundred 
dollars  per  day :  but  they  could  not  loan  the  vessels 
directly  to  Government;  and,  unless  he  took  them, 
they  would  prove  a  dead  loss.  So,  after  a  great 
deal  of  sparring,  it  was  finally  agreed  that  he  should 
hire  their  vessels  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
each  per  day.  He  thus  quietly  pocketed  a  large 
fortune  every  month,  and  could  throw  another 
country-house  into  the  public  treasury. 

The  result  was,  that  our  boys  were  crowded  on 
these  sponges,  which  just  floated,  and  compelled 
to  remain  in  durance  vile  twenty-seven  days  in 
making  a  Gulf  passage,  instead  of  ten ;  which 
would  be  the  case  if  Government  would  be  sharp 
and  economical  enough  to  hire  a  stanch  steamer 
at  a  thousand  dollars  per  day. 


CHARACTERS.  217 

That  is  one  way  in  which  Goverment  is  cheated. 
Millions  are  rolled  up  in  the  co'urse  of  a  few  years 
by  such  contracts  as  this ;  and  Government,  some 
times  compelled  to  put  itself  temporarily  into  the 
power  of  certain  large  business -men,  is  thus 
foully  betrayed ;  and  the  poor  of  the  whole  coun 
try  must  pay  a  cent  more  for  a  loaf  of  bread, 
that  the  rich  man  may  drive  four  horses  instead 
of  two. 

If  I  were  a  member  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  and 
the  ruler  was  so  haughty  that  he  disdained  to  look 
at  me,  —  nay,  if  for  his  pleasure  he  put  his  foot  on 
my  neck,  and  scorned  me,  —  I  think  I  could  laugh 
when  he  got  into  trouble  ;  and,  if  he  were  so 
humbled  that  he  came  to  me  for  help,  I  should  cer 
tainly  make  him  pay  heavily,  and  get  out  of  his 
misery  as  large  a  heap  of  gold  as  I  could,  and  then 
think  I  had  done  no  more  than  right.  But  when 
that  Government  which  has  blessed  me  ever  since 
I  crawled  out  of  my  cradle,  which  has  shaped  my 
youth,  and  moulded  my  manhood,  offering  me  every 
blessing  she  was  able  to  bestow,  is  attacked  by 
assassins,  and  falls  at  my  feet,  asking  me  to  help 
her  in  her  strait,  I  am  bound  to  do  it  by  gratitude, 
chivalry,  and  honor ;  and  if,  when  I  have  done 
what  I  could,  I  look  into  my  coffers,  and  find  an 
extra  penny,  I  am  a  base  recreant,  an  unfilial  son, 
and  little  better  than  a  traitor. 

18 


218  CHARACTERS. 

There  is  another  class  of  men  who  are  hard  at 
work  on  the  national  debt :  I  mean  the  quarter 
masters  of  the  army.  I  often  wondered  why  there 
was  such  an  ambition  to  fill  this  post.  It  seemed 
to  me  particularly  arduous  and  harassing,  with 
not  a  large  pay ;  and  yet  it  seemed  to  be  an  office 
coveted  by  every  one.  The  regiment,  the  post, 
the  division,  the  department,  each  has  an  officer  of 
this  grade  j  and,  curiously  enough,  they  all  come 
home  richer  than  they  went.  The  regimental 
quarter-master  has  a  rather  narrow  circle  in  which 
to  act,  and  so  operates  on  a  small  scale.  Still,  if 
he  is  energetic  and  unscrupulous,  he  can  do  very 
well  for  himself,  and  make  the  thousand  men  of  the 
regiment  pay  for  it.  Government  allows  so  much 
meat,  flour,  &c.,  to  each  man  per  day.  Now,  the 
allowance  is  exceedingly  liberal ;  and  no  man  can 
eat  a  full  ration.  This  food  is,  of  course,  received 
in  bulk,  and  dealt  out  as  demanded  by  the  various 
companies.  At  the  end  of  every  month,  several 
barrels  of  pork  and  salt  meat,  and  a  good  propor 
tion  of  all  other  articles  of  food,  are  unconsumed. 
This  is  greatly  increased  by  the  number  of  men  on 
the  sick-list,  for  whom  full  rations  are  drawn, 
though  they  consume  nothing  at  all.  This  large 
quantity  of  material  should  be  disposed  of,  and 
added  to  the  regimental  fund,  to  be  expended  in 
little  delicacies  for  the  hospital,  and  in  a  library  for 


CHARACTERS.  219 

the  convalescent.  Government,  you  see,  has  a 
kindly  care  for  its  boys.  It  does  not  want  them  to 
suffer,  and  does  all  it  can  to  supply  every  needed 
article  of  diet.  But,  unless  the  officers  of  the  regi 
ment  are  well  posted  on  these  matters  (and  volun 
teer  officers  seldom  are),  the  patriotic  individual 
who  left  his  home  and  his  business,  that  he  might 
do  the  hardest  work  of  the  regiment  for  a  hun 
dred  and  eighteen  dollars  a  month,  has  been 
metamorphosed  into  a  sucker,  fastened  on  the  body 
of  the  people,  and  filling  itself  with  their  blood. 
And  this  branch  of  the  Yampire  Family  is  very 
large.  Almost  every  regiment  has  a  representa 
tive;  and  though,  when  starting  from  home,  they 
make  to  themselves  fair  promises  to  be  honorable, 
yet,  in  the  confusion  of  camp-life,  the  temptations 
come  thick  and  fast,  and,  little  by  little,  the  officer's 
honesty  melts.  I  know  one  who  quietly  turned  all 
available  material  into  greenbacks,  for  his  own 
private  use ;  while  in  the  hospital  were  a  score  of 
men  languishing  for  the  want  of  little  delicacies, 
and  such  nourishing  food  as  his  greenbacks  would 
easily  buy.  There  was  no  fund  to  buy  such  things 
with.  In  most  of  our  regiments,  this  matter  is 
most  foully  neglected ;  and  the  regimental  sick,  all 
over  the  country,  will  bear  me  out  in  saying,  that 
they  have  been  most  shamefully  neglected  in  this 
regard.  The  poor  fellows  who  fell  out  of  the  line, 


220  CHARACTERS. 

and  took  to  their   beds,  have   many  and  many  a 
time  been  compelled  to  chew  a  junk  of  hard  salt 
meat,  and  to  drink  the  black  coffee  without  milk, 
when,   if   the    colonel   had    been    sharp,   and    had 
brought  his  quartermaster  up  with  a  round  turn, 
these  same  boys  might  have  had  a  nice  piece  of 
beefsteak  and  a  cup  of  luscious  tea.     The  worth, 
moral  as   well  as   physical,   of  a   cup   of  fragrant 
tea  and  a  steak  to  a  worn-out  soldier,  you  at  home 
can   never    estimate.      Quick   as  the   poor  fellow 
sniffs  it,  he  lifts  himself  up,  though  he  may  not 
have  been  strong  enough  to  do  so  for  twenty-four 
hours,  and  pours  out  his  thanks.     There  is  just  this 
difference  in  the  two  diets  :  Give  him  the  salt  meat 
and  the  old  tin  cup  of  coffee,  and  he  turns  over  in 
disgust,  and  feels  sicker   than   ever,  —  he    needs 
something  to  break  the  weary  monotony  of  food : 
offer  him  the  tea  and  toast,  or  steak,  and  he  eats, 
relishes,  brightens  up,  and  is  better  physically  for 
the  rest  of  the  day.     This  is  the  reason :  In  nine 
cases  out  of  ten,  a  part  of  the  patient's  disease  is 
home-sickness  :  he  at  once  feels  the  .dreadful  loss 
of  that  care  which  would  watch  over  him  were  he 
at  home.     This  loneliness  depresses  him,  and  in 
creases  the  vigor  of  the   disease.      Now,  do  any 
thing,  no  matter  what,  to  keep  his  spirits  up,  - 
change  his  food,  give  him  delicacies,  and  thus  show 
him  that  he  is  cared  for,  —  and  you  do  much  to  help 


CHARACTEES.  221 

the  surgeon.  Patients  always  get  well  sooner  in 
hospitals  where  women  nurse  the  sick.  They  are 
more  like  home.  Now,  then,  what  shall  we  say  of 
that  man  who  refuses  to  do  his  honorable  duty,  and 
pockets  the  money  which  belongs  to  these  sick 
boys?  He  is  an  assassin,  and  has  blood  on  his 
hands ;  he  is  a  traitor  and  a  knave,  and  does  not 
deserve  to  be  recognized  by  honest  men :  his 
money  is  all  Judas-coin,  and  will,  sooner  or  later, 
bring  him  to  grief. 

The  quartermasters  of  every  grade  are  thus 
pressed  by  temptation  ;  and,  when  you  look  so  high 
up  as  to  see  the  official  through  whose  hands  the 
entire  subsistence  for  a  force  of  fifty  thousand  men 
passes,  you  see  also  various  large  sluice-ways, 
leading  directly  from  the  public  treasury  to  that 
individual's  private  coffers.  He  occupies  a  posi 
tion  which  is  worth  to  him  from  fifty  to  a  hun 
dred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  The  vast  quantity, 
the  Ossa  on  Pelion,  of  breadstuffs,  meats,  &c., 
which  are  to  subsist  the  army,  should  be  trans 
ported  at  the  lowest  possible  rates.  It  is  this  offi 
cial's  business  to  find  that  lowest  rate,  and  thus  to 
save  Uncle  Sam  from  the  hands  of  the  Philistines. 
But,  alas !  too  often  the  official  is  himself  a  Philis 
tine,  who  can  trace  his  pedigree  directly  to  the 
fallen  angels  of  pre-Adamite  times.  He  learns  the 
highest  rates  of  transportation  (i.e.,  the  rates  asked 


222  CHARACTERS. 

by  merchants  who  have  stanch,  sea-worthy  craft)  j 
and  that  is  the  price  affixed  to  the  bill  he  sends  to 
Washington.  He  then  finds  out  what  he  can  get 
transportation  for  from  a  set  of  pettifoggers,  who 
have  craft  like  bowls,  —  sure  to  be  three  times  the 
usual  number  of  days  on  the  passage.  The  pecu 
niary  difference  between  the  bill  in  Washington, 
and  that  in  somebody's  breast-pocket,  is,  on  this 
huge  pile  of  material,  something  suggestive  of  a 
small  fortune.  But  does  the  shrewd  official,  who 
has  saved  his  country  forty  thousand  dollars,  hurry 
to  headquarters,  and  give  it  in  for  the  public  good  ? 
Does  he  boast  that  he  has  reduced  the  national 
debt  just  that  amount?  Or  does  he  found  an  or 
phan  asylum  with  it,  a  home  for  deceased  soldiers' 
children?  I  have  never  heard  of  such  a  thing.  It 
is  possible  that  it  may  have  been  done  ;  but  I  enter 
tain  some  very  grave  doubts.  One  reason  why 
I  doubt  it  is  this,  —  that,  ten  miles  in  the  country, 
a  handsome  residence  has  suddenly  changed  hands; 
that  the  granite  store,  at  the  corner  of  one  and 
another  street,  has  recently  been  sold  j  and  I  am 
convinced  that  a  quartermaster's  position  is  a  very 
lucrative  one. 

Here  is  another  way  in  which  something  is 
added  to  my  tax  and  yours.  The  horses  of  seve 
ral  cavalry  regiments,  and  of  all  the  officers  of  a 
corps  d'armee,  are  in  want  of  hay.  Somebody  is 


CHARACTERS.  223 

empowered  to  buy  it.  Great  confidence  is  placed 
in  the  officer  thus  selected,  and  he  occupies  a  very 
responsible  position.  He  receives  the  money  for 
good,  sweet  hay,  such  as  our  army  horses  ought 
to  have.  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  when  the  hay 
reaches  its  destination,  and  my  hostler  opens  my 
bundle,  it  is  found  to  be  old,  with  all  the  life  dried 
out  of  it  j  and  so  musty  and  dusty,  that,  when  the 
poor  horse  dives  his  nose  into  it,  he  makes  a  con 
tinuous  sneeze,  which  runs  through  the  entire 
length  of  his  body.  It  is  hardly  fit  for  bedding. 
The  poor  horses  refuse  it,  are  fed  on  oats,  get 
heated,  and  at  last  debilitated ;  and  the  next  day, 
in  an  engagement,  are  all  jaded,  when  they  should 
be  fresh  ;  and  instead  of  spiritedly  feeling  the  spur, 
and  pushing  into  the  midst  of  the  foe,  they  are 
sullen  and  unmanageable,  and  the  battle  is  lost. 
Many  and  many  a  charge  has  been  decided  by  the 
condition  of  the  horses.  Sometimes  the  rider  has 
nothing  to  do  but  think  of  his  sword  ;  for  the 
fresh  animal  enters  into  the  spirit  of  the  scene, 
and,  knowing  the  bugle-calls,  obeys  instinctively. 
Again :  the  rider's  whole  time  is  taken  up  with  his 
beast :  both  lose  their  temper,  and  nothing  but  a 
retreat  is  accomplished.  Who  is  responsible  for 
all  this?  —  these  lives  lost,  this  disgrace  to  our 
arms,  and  perhaps  the  loss  of  a  standard  ?  Trace 
it  back  far  enough,  and  you  will  find  it  in  that 


224  CHARACTERS. 

man  who  pretends  to  patriotism,  but  who  bought 
musty  hay,  instead  of  good,  fresh,  nourishing  hay, 
and  made  six  dollars  a  ton  by  the  operation ;  and 
who  would  be  sorry  if  he  thought  the  war  would 
end  in  the  next  six  months.  We  ought  to  have  a 
bloody  code  ;  and  any  man  with  shoulder-straps  on, 
who  is  caught  robbing  the  country  in  this  way, 
should  be  shot  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  army. 
But  nothing,  as  yet,  has  been  done.  We  are  too 
kind,  too  lenient,  too  patient.  We  ought  to  be  able 
to  check  such  villany  :  for  these  under-currents 
are  not  streamlets,  but  deep  rivers  ;  and  they  are 
making  this  debt  of  ours  an  ocean,  instead  of  a 
pond. 

In  speaking  of  our  cavalry,  I  have  noted  another 
fact,  which  has  excited  my  indignation.  When 
this  important  arm  of  the  service  was  being  orga 
nized,  it  was  ordered  that  no  horse  above  a  given 
age  (eight  years)  should  be  accepted ;  and  an  in 
spector,  or  many  inspectors,  men  who  were  thor 
oughly  versed  in  such  matters,  were  well  paid  to 
see  to  it  that  only  sound,  tough,  and  young  horses 
were  paid  for  by  the  Government.  Notwithstand 
ing  this,  we  have  thousands  of  horses  on  our  hands, 
eating  our  fodder,  who  are  either  spavined,  blind, 
or  antediluvian.  We  say  we  pay  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars  apiece  for  all  our  horses :  but,  if 
the  truth  were  known,  it  would  be  seen  that  there 


CHARACTERS.  225 

is  hardly  a  horse  in  the  service,  which  is  sound 
and  tough,  that  did  not  cost  double  that  sum ;  be 
cause  he  is  the  only  good  one  of  two,  each  of  which 
cost  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars. 

But  how  is  this  ?  It  is  a  trick  of  one  of  the 
vampires.  It  is  done  so  easily  and  so  skilfully, 
that  you  may  look  on  while  it  is  being  performed, 
and  not  detect  the  trick.  The  jockey  inspector  is 
a  very  Herman ;  and  you  must  watch  him  closely, 
or  you  will  not  discover  the  secret.  He  stands 
here  before  us,  while  yonder  are  a  drove  of  two 
thousand  horses.  They  are  the  scourings  of  the 
West.  Some  are  good,  some  bad,  some  very  indif 
ferent.  One  would  think  that  the  order  was  plain 
enough,  and  that  no  shrewd  trader  would  bring  a 
blind  or  otherwise  disabled  horse  to  such  a  market. 
Still,  here  they  are ;  and  they  are  marched  in  one 
by  one  to  the  inspector.  A  good,  plain,  honest- 
looking  man  trots  up  six  handsome,  young,  tough 
fellows,  who  look  as  though  they  could  stand  a  long 
march  without  being  fagged.  The  old  trader  is  a 
farmer,  has  a  hundred  or  two  acres  in  Illinois,  and 
has  raised  these  horses  himself.  He  knows  them 
to  be  finely  put  together,  and  expects  Uncle  Sam 
will  be  glad  to  get  them.  He  leads  them  up,  and 
the  inspector  looks  them  over  one  by  one  ;  while  the 
old  farmer's  eyes  twinkle  with  pride,  and  in  his 
heart  he  is  inwardly  praying  that  six  brave  boys 

19 


226  CHARACTERS. 

may  get  astride  of  them.  In  a  few  minutes,  he  is 
vastly  surprised  to  find  that  they  are  appraised  at 
only  a  hundred  dollars  each  j  for  he  knows  them 
to  be  fully  worth  the  twenty-five  more,  which  is  the 
maximum  price.  He,  however,  pockets  his  cha 
grin,  and,  together  with  you  and  myself,  determines 
to  see  what  will  be  the  valuation  of  some  other 
animals  of  the  drove.  Next  comes  a  lank  beast, 
which  has  plainly  been  a  cart-horse  for  some  years, 
and  whose  joints  are  not  exactly  like  a  pony's.  At 
a  glance,  we  see  that  he  is  at  least  twelve  years 
old,  and  only  wait  to  hear  the  inspector  refuse  him. 
That  official  looks  at  his  teeth,  feels  of  his  legs,  and 
then,  to  our  chagrin  and  surprise,  accepts  him  at 
a  hundred  dollars.  The  old  farmer's  eyes  roll 
round  wonderingly  as  he  looks  from  this  hack  to 
his  sleek  ponies,  and  goes  off  evidently  bewildered. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  good  man  does  not  see 
through  the  trick  to  this  day.  You  and  I  will 
watch  a  while  longer,  and  perhaps  we  may  get 
a  little  light. 

Another  drove  of  a  dozen  horses  are  soon  brought 
up  :  and  this  time  the  owner  seems  to  have  a  few 
private  words  with  the  inspector.  What  they  are 
talking  about,  I  cannot  say.  Their  tones  are  not 
loud  ;  and  the  gestures  consist  of  the  winking  of 
the  eye,  and  a  seemingly  friendly  grasp  of  the 
hand. 


CHARACTERS.  227 

'Tis  very  proper  thus  to  meet  as  brethren  :  but,  a 
minute  after,  I  notice  (for  I  have  very  quick  eyes) 
that  the  inspector  puts  the  hand  which  returned 
the  jockey's  friendly  grasp  into  his  pocket,  —  his 
waistcoat-pocket ;  and,  if  I  am  not  greatly  mistaken, 
I  saw  a  round  yellow  piece  of  metal,  that  would 
answer  well  for  a  twenty-dollar  gold-piece.  Of 
course,  I  was  mistaken ;  but  I  will  see  what  becomes 
of  the  horses.  The  first  is  an  unbroken,  wild  colt ; 
certainly  not  fit  for  the  cavalry  service  until  he 
has  been  tamed  by  curb  and  rein.  Still  he  is 
passed  at  once,  and  the  highest  price  paid.  The 
four  next  ones  are  evidently  hack-horses.  Their 
ribs  can  all  be  counted ;  their  eyes  are  dull,  and  one, 
at  least,  is  certainly  blind.  These,  of  course,  will 
be  rejected.  But  no ;  not  one  of  the  dozen  is  re 
jected  :  and  I  am  now  sure  of  two  things,  —  first, 
that  I  did  see  gold  ;  and,  second,  that  the  poor  fellow 
who  rides  any  one  of  these  horses,  will,  in  less  than 
a  month,  wish  himself  at  home,  inwardly  swearing, 
either  that  the  horse  is  unfit  for  the  service,  or 
that  he  is  unfit  for  a  rider. 

The  man  who  owns  the  next  drove  is  an  honest- 
looking  fellow,  but  seems  to  have  no  particular 
friendliness  towards  the  inspector ;  and,  as  a  con 
sequence,  three  of  his  horses  are  rejected.  Now,  I 
notice,  and  so  do  you,  that  all  horses,  good,  bad,  and 
indifferent,  whose  owners  have  such  a  kindly  feel- 


228  CHARACTERS. 

ing  for  the  inspector  that  they  shake  hands  with 
him,  are  passed  without  any  trouble  ;  while  those 
owners  who  neglect  this  ceremony  take  home  half 
their  animals. 

It  is  a  significant  fact.  Cross  the  villain's  palm 
with  gold,  and  he  will  make  the  Government  pay 
a  hundred  dollars  for  a  beast  which  will  have  to 
be  stabled  within  three  days  for  disability,  and 
which  will  cost  the  country  more  for  fodder  be 
fore  he  dies  than  the  original  price  paid  for  him. 
Placed  in  a  responsible  position,  not  only  by  the 
Administration,  but  by  the  North,  by  Humanity, 
by  Liberty,  to  use  his  best  knowledge,  and  choose 
only  those  beasts  which  can  endure  the  hardships 
of  a  campaign,  and  bear  our  boys  through  the 
rugged  fortunes  of  war  to  victory,  the  jockey  sells 
himself  to  the  Devil,  and  his  country  to  defeat,  for 
the  few  paltry  hundreds  or  thousands  with  which 
he  buys  a  farm,  or  lifts  a  mortgage  on  his  old 
place. 

He  is  a  type  of  a  large  class  of  men  who  are 
thrown  to  the  surface  by  the  war,  and  who  are 
made  criminals  by  the  times.  This  jockey,  in  his 
own  village,  was  a  respectable  man.  He  would 
cheat  you  out  of  fifty  dollars,  if  he  could,  in  a  horse 
trade ;  but  that  is  nothing.  Now,  all  the  inner 
depths  and  possibilities  of  evil  in  his  nature  have, 
by  the  great  convulsion,  been  brought  to  the  sur- 


CHARACTERS.  229 

face,  and  he  has  proved  himself  a  traitor  and  a 
villain.  "  Power/'  says  the  Greek  Chilo,  —  "  power 
discovers  the  man."  Many  a  man  needs  but  the 
opportunity,  the  temptation,  to  become  a  fiend. 
Such  men  the  war  has  belched  up  from  the  depths 
of  society ;  and  they  would  disgust  us  with  our 
selves,  and  with  humanity,  were  it  not  that  bright 
examples  of  highest  heroism  in  the  field,  and  of 
noble  self-sacrifice  at  home,  loom  up  in  the  dusty 
horizon,  as  stars  sometimes  break  through  the 
clouds  at  night,  and  light  our  pathway  with  their 
hallowed  rays. 

Gold  is  the  "Open  sesame"  to  most  men's  hearts. 
Unless  one  is  strongly  intrenched  behind  the  solid 
works  of  Christian  truth,  he  runs  great  risks  every 
hour.  Once  in  a  while,  we  see  a  splendid  instance 
of  heroism ;  and,  close  upon  its  heels,  an  instance  of 
unfaithfulness,  which  makes  us  sad  for  our  country. 

While  a  company  was  placed  on  guard  at  an  out 
post  beyond  Carrollton,  attempts  were  constantly 
made  to  smuggle  goods  to  the  enemy  through  a 
bayou  that  ran  by  their  headquarters.  One  night, 
the  soldier  on  duty  was  startled,  as  he  walked  his 
quiet  beat,  by  the  rustling  of  some  bushes  near 
him.  He  stopped,  listened,  heard  nothing;  and, 
concluding  that  he  had  been  mistaken,  resumed  his 
walk.  Soon  he  heard  the  same  sound,  and,  in  ad 
dition,  the  crackling  of  a  twig.  "  Who  goes  there  ?  " 


230  CHAEACTERS. 

he  cried ;  and,  receiving  no  answer,  called  the  cor 
poral  of  the  guard,  who  at  once  sent  out  his  men. 
They  soon  returned,  bringing  with  them  a  youth 
dressed  in  citizen's  clothes.  He  was  taken  before 
the  lieutenant  in  command;  when  it  was  discovered 
that  he  was  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  army,  who 
had  wealthy  parents  living  in  New  Orleans,  whom 
he  had  not  seen  for  more  than  a  year.  Feeling 
extremely  homesick,  he  determined  to  attempt  to 
pass  our  lines.  He  borrowed  or  bought  a  suit  of 
citizen's  clothes  ;  and,  after  secreting  himself  in  the 
woods  a  few  days,  found  an  opportunity  to  pass  our 
pickets.  He  had  been  with  his  parents  thirty  days, 
and  was  now  attempting  to  repass  the  pickets  on 
his  return.  Poor  fellow  !  He  felt  badly  enough  at 
being  caught ;  for,  according  to  the  rules  of  war, 
he  would  be  regarded  as  a  spy,  and  shot.  Fearing 
this  penalty,  he  begged  hard  that  his  father  might 
be  sent  for.  The  lieutenant,  at  length,  moved  by  his 
entreaties,  sent  an  orderly  with  a  message  to  the 
city.  The  father  arrived  in  due  time ;  and,  in  an 
instant,  saw  the  peril  into  which  his  son  had  fallen. 
He  tried  all  the  arguments  a  fond  father  could 
summon  to  persuade  the  lieutenant  to  allow  his  son 
to  go  free.  The  faithful  officer  was  deaf  to  all  his 
entreaties :  he  seemed  like  stone,  and  the  hot  words 
and  eloquent  entreaties  seemed  like  spray  dashing 
against  the  granite  cliff.  At  last,  in  perfect  des- 


CHARACTERS.  231 

peration,  the  father  took  out  his  note-book,  wrote  a 
check  for  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  presented  it  to 
the  officer  with  — 

"  Take  this,  sir,  and  the  bank  will  give  you  the 
money  to-morrow.  You  have  but  to  turn  your 
head,  to  leave  the  room  for  three  minutes,  and  my 
boy  can  escape  in  the  darkness." 

Then,  with  Roman  virtue,  his  poverty  unmoved 
by  the  tempting  bribe,  —  his  widowed  mother  and 
lovely  sisters  in  their  humble  New-England  home 
seeming,  but  only  seeming,  to  plead  for  the  life 
long  comfort  which  could  be  bought  by  a  moment's 
inadvertence,  —  he  turned  sternly  to  the  tempter 
with  — 

"  No,  sir :  I  do  my  duty  at  all  hazards." 

I  wish  that  this  was  the  end  of  the  incident. 
"  But  the  trail  of  the  serpent  is  over  them  all/' 
There  seems  to  be  no  bright  picture  of  daring,  of 
self-sacrifice,  but  it  has  on  its  back  the  stern  tra 
cings  of  something  mean  and  base.  This  lieutenant 
was  taken  to  the  proper  authorities  in  the  city,  and 
delivered  up.  Imagine  the  surprise  of  the  whole 
picket-force,  when,  three  days  afterwards,  he  pre 
sented  himself  before  his  captors,  and  showed  a 
pass,  properly  signed,  giving  him  permission  to  go 
at  his  pleasure  beyond  the  Federal  lines  !  One 
thing  is  sure:  the  ten  thousand  dollars  did  not  find 
the  same  unmoved  virtue  in  the  city,  which  marked 


232  CHARACTERS. 

the  commander  of  the  picket-guard.  The  persever 
ing  father  had  found  a  man  who  had  left  his  home, 
not  for  country,  but  for  self;  who  did  not  care  if 
the  rebel  officer  did  lead  his  company  against  our 
flag ;  and  who  was  ready  to  fill  his  pocket-book 
with  the  price  of  many  a  soldier's  life. 

So  the  pictures  stand  side  by  side,  —  the  good 
and  heroic,  the  bad  and  cowardly.  We  find  en 
gaged  in  the  same  work  the  apostle  of  Liberty, 
the  young  enthusiast,  and  the  Judas,  who  clutch 
es  the  money-bag,  and  cares  nothing  for  the  cause 
of  the  Nazarene.  These  contrasts  all  exist  in  the 
community  in  time  of  peace  ;  but  they  are  down 
below  the  surface,  and  only  the  initiated  know  of 
them.  In  time  of  war,  they  are  thrown  sud 
denly,  and  in  glaring  colors,  upon  the  canvas  of 
our  history,  like  the  magnified  pictures  from  a 
camera. 

Another  class  of  men,  who  have  attracted  my 
attention,  is  the  Provost-marshals.  They  form  a 
family  of  bipeds,  distinct  from  all  other  human 
beings.  They  occupy  a  very  important  position,  — 
having  almost  supreme  control  over  many  miles  of 
territory ;  and  are  able,  if  so  inclined,  to  do  much 
harm.  Capt.  Vander,  a  restless,  poor,  and  ambi 
tious  young  man,  who  came  to  the  war  to  make  a 
dollar,  who  will  never  be  the  means  of  causing 
any  one's  death,  and  who  will  be  very  careful  to 


CHARACTERS.  233 

keep  out  of  danger  himself,  at  last  succeeded  in 
wriggling  his  way  out  of  his  regiment,  and  se 
curing  for  himself  the  provost-marshalship  of  an 
up-river  parish.  When  I  said  he  was  poor,  I 
meant  that  he  had  been  engaged  in  a  small  retail 
business  before  the  war  j  that  his  expenses  ex 
ceeded  his  income  ;  and  that  he  left  home  in  debt. 
He  has  enjoyed  his  new-found  office  just  six  months ; 
and  yet,  on  a  captain's  pay,  he  sports  a  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  jewelry  on  his  person,  drives  a 
handsome  span  of  horses,  and  has  lent  several 
responsible  individuals  five  hundred  dollars  each. 
When  I  see  his  rich  apparel,  I  become  greatly 
interested,  and  begin  to  think,  that,  in  a  provost- 
marshalship,  there  is  more  machinery  than  I  knew 
of.  So,  with  candle  in  hand,  I  determine  to  enter 
the  labyrinth,  and  find  out  its  intricacies.  A  few 
days  suffice,  and  I  see  it  all.  The  money  is  easily 
made,  if  only  one's  conscience  has  been  well  tanned. 
A  man  must  put  aside  all  remembrance  that  his 
comrades  are  dying,  that  his  regiment  is  in  the 
thick  of  the  fight,  and  that  America  expects  every 
man  to  do  his  duty,  and  all  such  flowers  of  rhetoric. 
Like  cobwebs,  they  must  be  swept  away,  as  things 
disagreeable  to  look  upon.  Patriotism  is  a  luxury 
not  to  be  indulged.  He  must  wear  a  pair  of  spec 
tacles,  which  have  half-dollars  instead  of  glasses, 
and  then  all  will  be  well. 


234  CHARACTEES. 

Capt.  Vander  finds  no  difficulty  in  doing  this. 
A  man  came  to  him;  and  a  conversation  something 
like  this  ensued :  — 

"  What  do  you  want,  sir  ?  " 

"  A  pass  to  fish  on  the  lake,  sir." 

"  You  can't  have  it.     I'm  busy :  be  off !  " 

Soon,  on  his  desk,  rings  a  twenty-dollar  gold- 
piece.  This  means  business.  It  is  not  enough, 
however ;  and  the  captain  shakes  his  head.  So  the 
fisherman  puts  another  and  another,  each  more 
reluctantly  than  the  last,  until  there  are  five  shin 
ing  pieces  on  the  desk.  The  fellow  stops  short  as 
he  drops  the  fifth,  with  a  dogged  air,  as  much  as 
to  say,  "  No  more."  Vander  looks  through  his  half- 
dollars,  and,  without  saying  a  word,  writes  a  pass 
for  the  applicant  to  fish  anywhere  on  the  lake. 

It  is  a  little  remarkable,  but  the  fisherman  passes 
our  lines  late  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of  early  in 
the  morning ;  and,  now  that  I  am  clairvoyant,  I  see, 
in  the  lining  of  his  lugger,  a  large  quantity  of 
silks,  cottons,  fine  goods  of  various  kinds,  which  I 
doubt  not  will  be  very  acceptable  to  the  rebels ; 
while,  to  my  surprise,  I  find  not  a  single  hook  or 
line  anywhere  in  the  boat.  It  is  a  very  curious 
circumstance. 

Again :  the  pickets  bring  in  a  man  who  is  sus 
pected  of  smuggling.  He  has  sold  his  load,  and  is 
trying  to  get  home  again  j  but  the  sharp  picket 


CHARACTERS.  235 

scents  him  out.  All  his  effects  are  laid  before 
Vander.  Here  is  a  large  roll  of  Confederate  notes  ; 
and  here,  tightly  sewed  up,  are  a  thousand  dol 
lars  in  gold.  The  poor  smuggler  stands  trembling 
before  his  inquisitor,  and  expects  every  moment 
to  be  taken  out  and  shot.  He  is  an  ignorant  fel 
low,  a  Creole  ;  and,  if  he  gets  off  with  a  whole  skin, 
will  think  himself  very  fortunate.  Vander  returns 
him  the  worthless  notes,  giving  him  permission 
to  keep  his  boat ;  but  puts  into  his  own  pocket  the 
pile  of  gold,  sternly  rebuking  the  trader,  and,  in 
the  heat  of  pretended  passion,  swearing  to  hang 
him  if  he  is  ever  seen  in  the  parish  again. 

Here  is  his  last  act  J  and,  thank  justice,  the  last 
one  before  being  court-martialed.  Though  a  young 
man,  he  is  without  any  of  the  enthusiasm  or  chiv 
alry  which  belongs  to  youth ;  and  is,  or  professes 
to  be,  so  conservative,  that  he  hates  the  negro,  and 
believes  in  the  divine  character  of  slavery.  Thus 
he  is  the  ready  tool  of  the  planter,  and  by  far  the 
most  popular  man  on  the  coast.  He  enters  deeply 
into  the  feelings  of  the  slave-owner,  and  secretly 
connives  at  the  corporal  punishment  of  the  black 
man,  which  has  been  abolished  by  law.  So  month 
after  month  passes,  each  new  one  finding  him  more 
entangled  with  the  planters ;  until  at  last,  feeling 
secure  in  his  position,  and  a  little  independent 
because  he  has  coined  so  much  money  out  of  his 


236  CHARACTERS. 

position,  he  fires  the  mine  under  him,  and  comes 
down  with  a  crash.  A  negro  had  been  maltreated 
by  his  owner,  and  ran  away  from  the  plantation, 
determining  to  enlist  as  a  soldier.  He  made  for  the 
Provost's,  and  stated  his  grievance  and  wish.  In 
stead  of  receiving  him  as  he  should,  Yander  took 
him  by  the  collar,  kicked  him  out  of  his  office,  and 
bade  him  go  back  to  his  master.  This  was  really 
a  chivalrous  act.  He  could  not  have  done  better 
had  he  been  a  real  planter,  instead  of  a  planter's 
lackey. 

The  negro,  persistent  in  his  determination  to 
enter  the  army,  staid  in  the  woods  for  eight  days, 
living  as  best  he  could,  and,  every  night,  trying  to 
pass  the  pickets  and  get  to  the  city.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  he  was  discovered,  caught,  and 
brought  before  Vander,  who  at  once  recognized 
him,  and  whose  master  —  Yander's  and  the  slave's 
—  had  more  than  once  urged  that  search  be  made 
for  the  runaway.  The  only  crime  of  the  negro 
was,  that  he  would  not  allow  the  overseer  to  hold 
the  whip  over  his  back.  He  had  the  spirit  of  a 
freeman ;  had  felt  too  long  the  chains  of  slavery ; 
and,  now  that  the  Yankees  had  come  to  protect 
him,  insisted  upon  being  treated  like  a  man.  On 
this  condition,  he  was  willing  to  work  on  the  plan 
tation  ;  otherwise,  he  claimed  the  right  to  enlist 
in  the  army.  He  was  judged,  not  by  an  exas- 


CHARACTERS.  237 

perated  Southerner,  who  chafed  at  the  Yankee 
victories  over  the  rebel  flag,  but  by  a  thing,  an 
inquisitorial  biped,  whose  soul  was  all  shrivelled  up 
and  withered  by  the  wines  and  flattery  of  the  chi 
valry.  He  passed  the  following  sentence,  which 
was  carried  into  execution :  "  First,  that  the  negro 
receive  twenty-four  lashes  on  his  bare  back ;  se 
cond,  that  he  be  placed  in  the  stocks  for  eighteen 
hours ;  third,  that  he  receive  twenty-five  lashes 
more ;  and,  fourth,  that  his  shirt  be  stripped  off,  and 
his  hands  tied  to  a  tree,  and  that  he  remain  in  that 
condition  for  three  hours  after  nightfall,  that  the 
mosquitos,  which  fly  in  sivarms,  may  bite  him."  I 
can  hardly  believe  what  I  am  writing ;  but  I  re 
ceived  these  facts  from  Gen.  Bo  wen,  who  had 
preferred  charges  against  Vander,  and  removed 
him.  Legree  is  no  longer  the  exclusive  property 
of  the  South.  A  young  man  can  be  so  managed, 
after  a  few  months'  careful  manipulation  by  the 
planters,  that  he  can  be  made  to  do  an  act  which 
renders  his  name  a  byword  and  a  reproach  every 
where.  In  the  eagerness  to  make  money,  one  will 
forget  his  God,  his  country,  and  even  himself.  But 
such  gold  has  no  value.  Behind  every  bag  is  a 
spectre,  the  avenging  shade  of  a  faithful  soldier, 
who  was  dying  for  the  flag  while  this  man  was  dis 
gracing  it ;  and  he  spends  not  a  single  dime,  but  he 
is  startled  by  the  ghostly  warning,  —  "  Remember 


238  CHAEACTERS. 

how  that  gold  was  bought !  it  is  the  price  of  my 
life,  and  of  your  own  soul."  I  do  not  envy  Vander 
his  thoughts.  He  must  feel  lonely  at  night ;  and, 
live  long  as  he  may,  he  knows  he  is  a  coward,  arid 
dares  not  look  an  honest  boy  in  the  face.  There  is 
a  price  fixed  for  every  thing ;  and  the  highest  price 
we  ever  pay  is  for  gold  dishonestly  won.  I  will 
live  on  in  my  poverty,  and  be  happy.  He  may 
sweep  by  me  in  his  splendid  carriage  ;  but  I  only 
smile  on  him.  Gilded  panels  and  soft  cushions  are 
not  enough  to  give  repose.  These  are  all  forgot 
ten  whenever  the  flag  waves  in  the  breeze,  and 
covers  all  honest  men  with  its  benediction.  It  fills 
him  with  remorse,  and  he  is  miserable,  while  I 
rejoice.  I  gave  to  my  country  all  I  could :  he  took 
all  he  could  from  her. 

There  is  still  one  other  family  of  bipeds  in  this 
great  menagerie,  well  worthy  our  attention  and 
study.  They  are  marked  by  very  peculiar  cha 
racteristics.  They  are  the  ones  who  are  best 
typified  by  a  figure  holding  a  huge  ball  of  red 
tape  in  one  hand,  while  the  other  grasps  a  pair 
of  shears.  The  West-Pointer,  when  he  under 
stands  the  spirit  of  routine,  and,  in  a  gentlemanly 
way,  insists  that  it  shall  be  complied  with,  is  a 
most  invaluable  personage ;  for  his  clear  head  and 
quick  eye  detect  at  once  the  coming  snarl  in  events, 
and  his  active  fingers  apply  the  remedy.  But,  on 


CHARACTERS.  239 

the  other  hand,  when,  being  a  man  of  only  mediocre 
ability,  he  has  never  sought  this  spirit,  and  insists 
on  the  strict  letter  of  routine,  cursing  you,  because, 
carrying  a  message  of  life  or  death,  you  came  to  the 
office  on  the  full  run,  when  you  should  have  walked 
in  a  dignified  way,  regardless  of  consequences,  he 
is  a  public  and  a  private  bore.  In  the  war,  this 
family  has  a  factitious  value  ;  and  to  have  gradu 
ated  at  West  Point  is  to  be  looked  upon  with  a  sort 
of  awe.  There  is  many  a  man,  who,  when  he 
receives  his  diploma  as  a  full-fledged-  A.B.,  cannot 
pass  the  examination,  and  enter  the  freshman-class 
again ;  and,  unless  West  Point  is  unlike  all  other 
institutions  of  learning,  it  gives  to  the  world,  with 
every  class,  some  men  who  are  good  mathemati 
cians,  who  can  tell  you  all  about  fortifications,  are 
perfectly  acquainted  with  all  necessary  branches  of 
military  learning,  but  who  have  not,  and  never 
will  have,  what  is  nascitur  non  fit,  i.e.  common 
sense. 

What  the  Sadducees  were  to  the  Jews,  these 
West-Point  men  are  to  our  army,  —  the  exclusives, 
the  aristocracy  ;  those  who  look  down  on  volun 
teers  as  mere  stuff,  and  who  laugh  at  men  who  are 
not  posted  in  tactics,  but  who  yet  will  often  lead 
where  these  men  dare  not  follow.  The  knowledge 
how  to  do  a  thing,  and  the  ability  to  do  it,  are  not 
always  combined ;  and  scattered  through  our  army 


240  CHARACTERS. 

are  numerous  young  men,  whose  only  point  of 
superiority  above  ten  thousand  others  is  that  they 
have  graduated  at  West  Point.  This  is  enough 
to  excuse  their  blunders,  their  insults,  and  their 
unendurable  superciliousness. 

I  know  one  such.  When  a  colonel,  whose  sick 
men  had  been  four  days  without  a  physician,  went 
to  ask  that  a  surgeon  might  be  sent  to  them,  he 
was  turned  off  with,  "  Oh  !  they  are  nothing  but 
nine-months'  men.  Go  on,  driver." 

This  may  be  according  to  the  Army  Regulations  ; 
but  it  is  contrary  to  the  dictates  of  humanity,  and 
an  insult  to  every  nine-months'  man  in  the  depart 
ment. 

I  know  another,  who  is  so  enamoured  of  the  way 
in  which  he  always  has  proceeded,  that  he  refuses  to 
sign  a  soldier's  discharge  until  the  pile  of  discharge- 
papers  has  reached  a  fixed  height.  Now,  it  is  often 
of  the  utmost  consequence  that  the  discharged  boy 
be  sent  North  at  once.  Twenty-four  hours,  forty- 
eight  hours,  may  make  a  serious  difference  in  the 
chances  of  his  recovery.  He  never  can  get  well 
in  the  South;  but  send  him  to  his  home  in  the 
North,  and  the  fresh  air,  and  loving  presence  and 
attendance  of  friends,  bring  new  life,  and  are  better 
than  any  medicine  in  the  surgeon's  chest.  Yet  this 
man  has  been  known  to  retain  discharge-papers  in 
his  possession  so  long,  that  many  and  many  a  time, 


*         CHARACTERS.  241 

when  the  papers  were  at  last  signed,  the  poor  boy 
was  safe  from  West  Point,  and  in  the  ground.  The 
reason  is,  that  the  routine,  once  fixed  upon,  must 
not  be  changed :  it  must  yield  neither  to  right  nor 
wrong,  to  God  nor  the  Devil. 

The  youthful  West-Pointer,  when  he  is  in  full 
feather,  honestly  believes  that  it  was  the  Army 
Regulations,  and  not  the  Decalogue,  which  came 
from  the  mysterious  cloud  to  the  children  of  Israel. 
The  law  written  therein  is  harder  than  that  of 
Mede  or  Persian.  The  order,  once  issued,  must  not 
be  retracted.  While  lying  in  New-York  Harbor, 
one  of  these  gentlemen  issued  an  order  to  the  pilot 
of  the  boat  to  start  at  three,  P.M.,  precisely.  The 
captain,  knowing  that  the  vessel  could  not  get  off 
before  five,  P.M.,  was  ashore. 

"  We  cannot  start  at  that  time,  sir ;  for  the  tide 
does  not  serve." 

"  The  order  has  been  issued,  and  you  will  obey 
it." 

The  half-frightened  pilot,  never  thinking  that  the 
captain  was  ashore,  gave  the  order  at  three  pre 
cisely,  and  the  vessel  began  to  move.  The  tide 
was  low;  but  what  of  that?  Shall  a  West-Point 
graduate  retract  an  order  simply  because  its  execu 
tion  is  impossible  ?  Nonsense  !  The  vessel  swung 
partly  round ;  when  all  at  once  she  ran  her  stern 
into  a  mud-bank,  and  was  immovable. 

20 


242  CHARACTERS. 

Now,  you  may  issue  as  many  orders  as  you 
choose :  you  must  wait  quietly  until  the  tide 
serves.  In  about  half  an  hour,  the  captain  went 
on  board,  and  swore,  as  only  an  old  sea-dog  can, 
in  a  voice  that  might  be  heard  all  over  the  harbor ; 
cursing  the  pilot  for  his  want  of  common  sense,  and 
sending  him  off  the  vessel  at  once. 

That  is  the  side  of  West  Point  we  do  not  want. 
Mere  dead,  dull  routine,  when  there  is  no  spirit  in 
it,  is  the  deadest  and  dullest  thing  in  the  world ; 
and  the  Army  Regulations,  when  followed  out 
according  to  the  letter  by  one  who  has  not  brains 
enough  to  understand  their  spirit  and  the  exigen 
cies  which  called  them  forth,  are  most  insipid  and 
meaningless.  Brains  and  West  Point  are  very  well ; 
but  West  Point  without  brains  is  too  much  of  a 
burden  for  volunteers.  The  truth  is,  that  we, 
having  on  our  hands  a  war  of  such  appalling  magni 
tude,  and  knowing  nothing  of  military  matters, 
have  placed  undue  confidence  in  any  and  all  who 
profess  to  know  how  to  lead  us  aright.  In  this 
way,  many  have  worked  themselves  into  high  posi 
tions,  who  are  conspicuous  only  for  their  blunders. 
We  have  been  patient,  and  even  enduring:  but, 
now  that  we  have  had  two  years'  experience,  we 
are  beginning  to  see  into  the  darkness  for  our 
selves  ;  and  soon  we  may  hope  for  guides  who  will 
not  sacrifice  a  victory  to  a  point  of  etiquette,  but 
who  will  sacrifice  every  thing  for  success. 


CHARACTERS.  243 

To  know  every  thing  is  not  enough :  to  do 
something  will  soon  be  the  only  title  to  our  re 
spect. 

These  are  some  of  the  men  thrown  to  the  sur 
face  by  the  war.  They  have  taken  advantage  of 
the  general  chaos  to  fill  their  own  coffers,  or  to 
work  themselves  into  prominent  positions.  But  a 
small  man  in  the  midst  of  a  large  fortune  is  a  piti 
able  object  j  and  a  minute  man,  clothed  in  a  gaudy 
uniform,  and  strutting  about  in  the  place  which 
should  be  occupied  only  by  the  great  head  and 
great  heart,  is  certainly  not  to  be  envied.  Poor 
fools !  they  will  checkmate  themselves  before  they 
have  made  many  moves.  And  these  are  a  few  of 
the  ways  in  which  the  national  debt  is  rolled  up. 
There  are  others,  scores  of  them,  which  I  know 
nothing  about.  Indeed,  there  must  be  j  for  the 
patent  cost  of  subsisting  and  paying  our  army 
seems  a  small  sum  by  the  side  of  what  we  actually 
expend  every  month.  I  was  greatly  interested  in 
this  matter,  and  wondered  —  this  was  in  the  days 
of  my  blissful  ignorance  and  verdancy  —  how  our 
bills  amounted  to  something  like  a  million  a  day. 
One  does  not  remain  long  in  the  army,  however, 
no  matter  how  quiet  the  position  he  occupies, 
without  seeing  exactly  how  this  thing  is  achieved. 
It  is  not  done  by  the  soldiers  who  have  been 
oftenest  in  the  fight :  if  it  were,  we  should  be 


244  CHARACTERS. 

disinclined  to  criticise.  They  risk  their  lives  every 
hour ;  their  strong  arms  are  repelling  the  invader, 
and  establishing  our  homes  on  a  safe  foundation ; 
are  giving  security  to  our  commercial  interests, 
and  saving  the  national  credit.  If  they  all  made  a 
competency,  a  complaint  would  come  with  an  ill 
grace  from  us.  But  it  is  not  so.  Those  who  do 
their  duty  best  get  only  the  thirteen  dollars  a 
month,  and  seldom  bring  home  any  other  memento 
of  the  war  than  a  wound  in  the  breast,  or  a  wooden 
leg.  All  honor  to  the  volunteer  rank  and  file ! 
The  noblest  patriotism  in  the  country  is  to  be 
found  there.  They  are  the  most  disinterested  men 
we  have,  and  should  be  held  in  the  warmest  regard. 
The  people  have  vindicated  their  right  to  repub 
licanism.  The  thoughtful,  honest,  self-sacrificing 
people  are  to-day  showing  the  world  in  how  high 
estimation  they  hold  our  free  schools  and  our  free 
government.  They  have  rushed  with  irresistible 
force  against  the  monarchists  of  the  South  ;  and,  in 
the  shock  of  battle,  are  silencing  the  croaking 
rhetoricians  of  Europe,  who  have  predicted  that 
republicanism  was  in  its  death-struggle.  So  far 
from  the  truth  are  they,  that,  on  the  other  hand,  our 
victorious  flag  will  yet  give  a  new  impulse  to  all 
the  liberty-loving  men  of  Europe.  It  will  say  to 
those  beyond  the  great  sea,  "  Struggle  on,  brave 
Italians  and  noble  Poles :  your  cause  is  God's 


CHARACTERS.  245 

cause  and  man's ;    fight  on;  and  you  shall  yet  be 
free.-" 

It  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  tell  you  in 
whose  pockets  this  immense  amount  of  money  finds 
a  resting-place.  They  are  men  who  have  no  other 
than  a  financial  interest  in  the  war,  —  the  most 
unworthy  and  unpatriotic.  I  have  given  an  im 
perfect  catalogue  of  some  of  them,  and  am  glad 
to  reach  the  end  of  a  very  disagreeable  subject. 
Heaven  help  them  !  I  say ;  for  they  have  had  no 
mercy  on  themselves.  In  spite  of  them  and  their 
ill-gotten  gains,  the  cause  treads  with  firm  step, 
and  the  end  is  approaching ;  and,  when  glorious 
peace  —  a  peace  won  by  struggle  and  by  blood  — 
shall  crown  our  bord^^once  again,  these  men  will 
take  their  rightful  place  :  they  will  form  a  clique 
with  no  inward  sense  of  satisfaction,  but  with  a 
feeling  of  utter  degradation ;  while  those  who 
gave  of  their  substance,  and  of  the  best  fruit  of 
their  lives,  will  walk  proudly  under  the  benedictive 
red,  white,  and  blue,  and  say,  "  It  is  ours,  —  our 
own;  for  we  paid  the  sacrifice,  and  won  it." 


246  ON   THE   MAKCH. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

ON   THE   MARCH. 

I  CASUALLY  heard,  one  day,  that  the  army  was 
soon  to  march  upon  Port  Hudson;  and  at  once 
went  to  the  general,  and  asked  and  obtained  permis 
sion  to  postpone  my  work  for  a  while,  and  accom 
pany  him.  It  was  a  bright,  beautiful  morning  when 
the  command  was  given,  "  To  horse,  gentlemen  !  " 
and  the  noble  Farragut  had  passed  Baton  Rouge 
in  the  "Hartford,"  cheered  by  the  huzzas  of  ten 
thousand  hearts.  He  is  really  a  hero ;  and  there  is 
a  ring  to  his  tones,  which  reminds  one  of  a  trumpet, 
when  he  says,  "  Iron  gun-boats  are  all  well  enough  ; 
but  give  me  a  crew  of  iron  hearts."  We  very  soon 
caught  up  with  the  advancing  column ;  and  I  have 
never  witnessed  a  grander  sight  than  that  pre 
sented  by  our  forces.  First  a  wagon-train,  inter 
minable  in  length,  filling  up  the  road  for  full  two 
miles,  —  the  white  canvas  tops  contrasting  with  the 
rich  green  of  the  foliage,  for  the  road  was  through 
a  dense  wood ;  the  drivers  hallooing  to  their  mules  ; 
the  negroes  making  the  woods  ring  with  their  songs : 
all  made  up  a  picture  at  once  novel  and  interesting. 


ON   THE   MARCH.  247 

Next  we  came  upon  a  solid  column  of  some  twenty- 
five  thousand  men.  They  were  in  the  best  of  spirits ; 
and  as  the  whole  body  parted  in  the  middle,  and 
filed  to  either  side  of  the  road,  and  gave  expression 
to  their  confidence  in  their  leader  by  cheers  which 
ran  along  the  entire  length  of  the  line,  every  one 
was  roused  to  an  enthusiasm  almost  uncontrollable. 
I  felt  that  he  who  led  such  a  body  of  men  was  the 
most  enviable  being  in  the  world ;  and,  when  the 
scene  was  rendered  wilder  by  the  crashing  music 
from  a  dozen  brass  bands,  it  seemed  as  if  every 
man  was  ready  to  risk  his  life  in  the  dread  en 
counter. 

That  night,  our  advance  encamped  within  six  miles 
of  the  enemy's  works.  I  accepted  the  kind  invita 
tion  of  Col.  Bullock,  of  the  Thirtieth,  to  share  his 
tent ;  and  slept  as  comfortably  on  the  dry  grass  and 
dead  leaves  as  though  I  had  had  a  bed  of  down.  A 
hard  ride  of  six  or  eight  hours  naturally  inclined 
me  to  hunger  and  sleep.  I  relished  a  pile  of  crack 
ers  and  cheese  more  than  Vitellius  ever  did  his 
dainty  dish  of  birds'  tongues ;  and  was  soon  after 
wards  on  my  back,  giving  good  evidence  of  my 
condition. 

I  slept  soundly  until  about  half-past  ten;  when  a 
faint,  booming  sound  awoke  me.  It  occurred  at 
regular  intervals  of  about  a  minute ;  and,  as  soon  as 
I  gathered  my  scattered  senses,  I  knew  that  the  gun- 


248  ON   THE   MARCH. 

boats  were  hard  at  work.  I  lay  quietly  for  some 
time,  awed  by  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion ;  for  it 
was  then  pitch  dark,  and  the  dull,  heavy  sound  was 
freighted  with  success  or  defeat ;  and,  on  opening 
my  eyes  again,  I  could  distinctly  trace  the  course 
of  the  shell  through  the  air  by  the  light  of  the 
'••fuses.  I  watched  them  until  about  two  o'clock; 
when  I  ordered  my  horse,  and  set  out  for  head 
quarters.  It  wTas  so  dark  that  I  could  not  keep  the 
road,  and  so  trusted  to  the  instincts  of  my  noble 
beast.  It  was,  withal,  a  lonely  ride,  —  five  miles 
through  dense  woods,  the  silence  only  broken  by 
the  gruff  "  Who  goes  there  ?  "  of  the  guard,  and  the 
ominous  clicking  of  the  hammer  as  he  cocked  his 
gun.  All  the  legends  of  the  Hartz  Mountains  ran 
through  my  mind ;  for  the  night  seemed  just  fitted 
for  a  carnival  of  the  Genii. 

I  had  just  reached  headquarters  when  the  wel 
come  news  came,  that  a  part  of  the  fleet  had  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  by  the  fort.  Still  there  was 
something  ominous  in  a  certain  glare  of  light,  which 
ever  and  anon  burst  up  from  the  tree-tops  in  the 
distance.  One  of  our  vessels  must  have  caught  fire. 
It  could  not  be  a  common  gunboat,  for  the  flames 
had  already  lasted  several  hours.  At  last  a  courier 
came,  saying  that  the  " Mississippi"  had  caught  fire. 
That  noble  vessel  was  part  of  the  price  we  were  to 
pay  for  the  victory  hoped  for. 


ON   THE   MARCH.  249 

I  have  never  witnessed  a  scene  so  magnificent 
as  that  which  closed  the  career  of  this  war-ship. 
One  moment,  the  flames  would  die  away,  and  then 
the  black  darkness  of  the  night  seemed  heavier 
than  ever;  in  another  minute,  the  flames  would 
curl  up  again  above  the  tree-tops,  and  tinge  the 
cloud-edges  with  a  lurid  light.  At  length  came 
the  catastrophe.  I  thought  the  fire  had  gone  out; 
and  was  just  turning  away,  when  fold  after  fold  of 
cloudy  flame,  driven  with  terrific  force,  rose  higher 
and  higher,  until  the  entire  heavens  were  illumi 
nated,  as  though  the  sun  itself  had  burst ;  and 
immediately  after  came  a  sound  that  shook  the 
earth,  —  a  crash  so  awful,  that  it  seemed  as  though 
one  could  feel  it;  which  thundered  along  the  entire 
horizon,  frightening  the  birds  in  their  coverts  and 
the  horses  in  their  stalls ;  and  then  all  was  still 
and  dark.  The  "  Mississippi  "  Avas  no  more.  That 
noble  vessel,  which  had  made  for  herself  a  history, 
had  at  last  fallen  a  victim  to  the  chances  of  war. 
She  was  a  splendid  ship ;  and  every  American  will 
remember  with  regret  the  hour  when  she  was 
lost. 

That  night,  fortune  did  not  favor  me.  I  had  es 
corted  Col.  Clarke,  who  had  been  wounded,  beyond 
our  lines,  on  the  Baton-Rouge  road ;  and,  a  second 
time,  accepted  the  hospitality  of  Col.  Bullock.  I 
was  quietly  and  with  great  zest  gnawing  a  beef- 

21 


250  ON    THE   MAKCH. 

bone,  wondering  at  the  novelty  of  a  soldier's  life, 
when  I  was  surprised  out  of  my  dream  by  the  pat 
ter  of  rain.  I  was  fully  prepared  for  fine  weather  ; 
but  rain  I  had  not  reckoned  upon.  The  ground 
was  so  low  and  marshy,  that,  in  the  course  of  the 
first  half-hour,  there  were  at  least  three  inches  of 
water  on  it.  I  perched  myself  on  a  bread-box, 
however,  crossing  my  legs  d  la  Turc;  feeling  that 
delightful  indifference  to  all  fortune,  which  is  the 
charm  and  necessity  of  a  soldier's  life.  My  bone 
and  my  hunger  were  enough  to  occupy  all  my 
thoughts.  My  inner  man,  astonished  at  the  utter 
neglect  of  the  last  eighteen  hours,  was  determined 
that  I  should  concentrate  my  attention  upon  one 
only  thing.  That  luscious  beef-bone,  which,  only  a 
few  hours  before,  had  been  trotting  about  gayly 
in  those  very  woods,  seemed  to  me  the  richest 
luxury  in  the  world.  As  I  held  it  firmly  in  my  left 
hand,  and  ever  and  anon  tore  from  it  a  delicious 
morsel,  you  could  not  have  bought  it  of  me  for  a 
whole  township. 

When  I  had  satisfied  my  hunger,  I  began  to  re 
cognize  the  fact,  that  the  tent  was  pitched  in  four 
inches  of  water,  and  that  it  was  raining  most  lustily. 
I  splattered  out,  tied  my  horse  under  a  large  tree, 
laughed  heartily  at  the  look  of  perfect  surprise  he 
put  on  as  I  turned  to  leave  him,  and  then  hunted 
until  I  came  across  a  stretcher  which  would  lift  me 


ON   THE   MARCH.  251 

just  six  inches  from  the  ground,  and  serve  very 
comfortably  for  a  bed.  Fortune  did  indeed  favor 
me.  I  was  two  inches  above  the  water,  and  had  a 
covering  above  my  head,  which  only  once  in  a 
while  played  the  sieve,  and  showered  me.  I  slept 
soundly,  as  only  the  tired  man  can.  In  the  morn 
ing,  my  faithful  horse  waked  me  with  his  neighing ; 
and,  if  he  had  had  the  power  of  speech,  I  do  not 
doubt  he  would  have  scolded  me  well  for  leaving 
him  all  night  in  a  pond. 

I  was  surprised  at  the  uniform  cheerfulness  of 
the  men  under  these  trying  circumstances.  They 
had  no  covering  except  their  rubber-blankets, 
which  they  stretched  out  —  a  very  poor  roof — 
upon  four  upright  stakes.  They  were,  most  of 
them,  drenched  to  the  skin.  Yet  around  the  camp- 
fires  were  heard  only  mirth  and  wildest  hilarity. 
Once  in  a  while,  I  came  across  some  poor  unfortu 
nate,  who  had  dropped  his  blanket  in  the  mud,  and 
down  whose  back  the  rain  was  trickling  merciless 
ly  ;  and  who  seemed  (I  judged  from  the  forcible 
expletives  used)  to  have  arrived  at  the  sage  con 
clusion,  that  a  soldier's  life  is  not  always  gay,  as 
generally  represented,  and  that  camp-life  and  camp- 
meeting  are  two  very  different  things.  But  even 
he  soon  gathered  his  muddy  vestments  about  him ; 
and,  crawling  alongside  the  bright  fire,  got  into  a 
better  humor  with  himself  and  the  fortunes  of  war. 


252  ON   THE   MARCH. 

When  we  returned  to  Baton  Rouge  (for  it  seems 
our  advance  upon  Fort  Hudson  was  only  a  feint  to 
compel  the  enemy  to  withdraw  their  water-bat 
teries,  that  Farragut  might  the  more  easily  run  the 
gauntlet),  my  friend  Gen.  Dudley  was  ordered  to 
make  a  reconnoissance  on  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
and  to  get  as  nearly  opposite  Port  Hudson  as  was 
practicable.  I  received  permission  from  Gen.  Banks 
to  act  on  Dudley's  staff  pro  tern.  We  started  late 
in  the  afternoon,  three  steamboat-loads  of  us;  and, 
as  I  wanted  to  reserve  myself  for  the  next  day's 
work,  I  went  to  bed  soon  after  sundown,  and  slept 
soundly  until  the  next  morning.  We  should  have 
reached  our  landing-place  in  about  three  hours :  so 
I  may  be  excused,  if,  when  I  woke,  I  was  surprised 
to  find  it  morning,  and  myself  on  board  the  steam 
boat.  I  leapt  out  of  my  berth,  and  scrambled  for 
the  deck  to  ascertain  the  solutions  of  the  mystery. 
On  looking  about  me,  my  first  feeling  was  one  of 
chagrin ;  but,  on  second  thoughts,  I  burst  out  into 
a  hearty  laugh.  It  seems,  that,  during  the  night,  a 
heavy  fog  came  up,  and  the  pilots  lost  their  way. 
As  luck  would  have  it,  we  stopped  our  engines  just 
at  the  mouth  of  a  huge  crevasse.  The  unfortunate 
steamboats  were  drawn  in  by  the  force  of  the  cur 
rent  ;  and,  at  the  precise  moment  when  I  took  my 
observation,  the  "  Empire  Parish  "  was  at  least  a 
hundred  yards  inside  the  levee,  while  the  "  Morn- 


ON   THE    MARCH.  253 

ing  Light "  was  anchored  in  the  very  centre  of  a 
plantation,  and  close  to  a  huge  sugar-house.  After 
a  vast  deal  of  cursing  on  the  part  of  the  pilots,  and  a 
loss  of  some  twenty-four  hours,  we  managed  to  get 
into  the  river  again  •  and,  shortly  afterwards,  came 
to  a  landing  at  Winter's  Plantation.  The  enemy's 
works  were  plainly  visible.  They  were  only  about 
five  miles  off;  and,  with  the  glass,  we  could  dis 
tinctly  see  the  rebels  hurrying  to  and  fro. 

I  was  very  much  interested  that  evening  in 
watching  the  soldiers,  and  seeing  the  way  in 
which  they  accommodated  themselves  to  their  sit 
uation.  The  moment  the  company  lines  were 
marked  out,  a  certain  number  made  for  the  fields 
where  the  cattle  were  grazing  •  while  another 
party  proceeded  to  demolish  the  fence  about  the 
house  ;  first,  to  use  it  for  a  mattress  on  which 
to  sleep ;  and,  second,  for  fire-wood.  In  less  than 
thirty  minutes  from  the  time  of  landing,  the  fence 
had  entirely  disappeared  ;  and  to  look  on  the  men 
at  their  fires,  busily  cooking,  or  washing  tin  plates, 
or  lying  on  the  grass  singing  and  reading,  while 
here  and  there  was  one  who  carried  his  fiddle,  and 
most  perseveringly  and  pleasantly  cajoled  the  hours 
away,  you  would  have  thought  that  they  had  lived 
on  the  place  for  weeks.  They  managed,  in  the 
most  marvellous  way,  to  make  themselves  at  home. 
One  is  down  by  the  water's  edge :  he  has  taken  his 


254  ON   THE   MARCH. 

shirt  off  (for  the  day  is  very  warm),  and  is  scrubbing 
the  thing  in  the  most  determined  manner.  Another 
has  brought  a  rocking-chair  out  of  the  house,  and 
sits  at  his  ease,  watching  the  progress  of  dinner. 
Others  have  grouped  together,  making  very  re 
spectable  music.  Others,  again,  are  in  the  ring  • 
and,  judging  from  the  black  eyes  and  bloody  faces, 
have  got  as  far  as  the  tenth  round.  Fifteen  min 
utes  ago,  if  you  had  listened,  you  would  have  heard 
a  most  ominous  cackling  from  all  quarters  at  once  : 
now  not  a  solitary  cackle  can  be  heard  within  a 
mile.  Thirty  minutes  since,  the  lowing  herd  were 
winding  very  rapidly  over  the  lea,  evidently  under 
the  impression  that  danger  was  imminent :  now 
four  beef-hides  hang  gracefully  from  as  many 
stakes,  drying  for  the  New-Orleans  market,  and 
anxious  to  be  converted  into  Yankee  shoes. 

At  first,  my  heart  revolted  at  such  destruction 
of  life  :  but  when,  by  chance,  my  attention  was 
called  to  a  savory  dish  which  my  contraband  was 
lustily  stirring  •  and  when,  grinning  from  ear  to 
ear,  Tom  said,  "  Lieutenant,  will  you  pick  a  chicken 
bone?"  —  I  must  confess  that  I  forgot  all  things 
else,  my  revolted  feelings,  and  my  knife  and  fork, 
and  devoured,  as  only  a  hungry  man  can,  the  better 
part  of  a  chicken;  believing  all  the  time  that  the 
said  biped  had  at  last  accomplished  its  intended 
mission.  So  my  contraband  must  have  thought  j 
for  when  I  inquired, — 


ON    THE   MARCH.  255 

"  Tom,  by  the  way,  how  came  you  by  that  chick 
en  ?  "  he  answered,  — 

"  Why,  master,  he  want  doin'  no  good  whare  he 
wer :  so  I  tho't  that  I  would  put  him  whare  he 
would  do  good." 

I  have  never  since  felt  any  repugnance  about 
taking  whatever  I  wanted  for  subsistence  from  the 
enemy. 

This  sleeping  out  of  doors,  lying  down  in  the 
very  lap  of  good  Mother  Earth,  is  a  glorious  habit. 
We,  who  had  always  slept  in  the  third-story  back 
of  a  brick  house,  with  no  prospect  from  the 
window  but  four  feet  square  of  blue  sky  above,  and, 
below,  a  city  grape-vine,  trying  to  live  in  spite  of 
the  three  cart-loads  of  loam  which  were  deposited 
years  ago,  and  have  never  been  disturbed  since, 
though  they  are  now  as  hard  as  sand-stone,  —  I  say, 
one  who  has  spent  the  glorious  nights  in  such  a 
room,  and  who  has  never  allowed  the  window  to 
be  open  more  than  three  inches,  can  hardly  con 
ceive  of  the  luxury  of  sleeping  on  the  broad  bed  of 
earth,  which  graciously  sends  its  fragrance  of  hem 
lock  and  mint  to  lull  you  to  repose,  and  of  having 
all  the  air  there  is  to  be  breathed.  I  have  often 
felt  that  one  of  the  heaviest  prices  we  pay  for  civi 
lization,  and  the  privilege  of  living  in  the  temper 
ate  zone,  is  the  necessity  of  sleeping  within-doors. 
In  the  East,  the  best  room  is  that  which  has  the 


256  ON   THE   MARCH. 

roof  of  the  house  for  its  floor,  and  the  wide  heavens 
for  a  ceiling.  The  poor  Indian,  who  knows  neither 
how  to  read  nor  write,  gets  closer  to  Nature  than 
you  or  I  in  our  artificial  life.  He  strikes  out  from 
the  beach,  and  swims  for  a  mile,  cutting  the  life- 
giving  water  with  his  strong  arms,  and  taking  in 
health  and  vigor  at  every  pore ;  and.  when  night 
comes,  he  makes  a  bed  of  freshly-cut  hemlock,  un 
der  the  protecting  branches  of  some  old  tree,  and 
sleeps  so  sweetly  and  soundly,  that,  in  the  morning, 
he  is  young  again. 

It  is  well  known  that  our  soldiers  are  never  so 
well  as  when  on  the  march.  The  reason  is  obvi 
ous.  It  is  because  they  have  healthy  exercise, 
generally  good  food  and  pure  air,  and  have  no  time 
to  indulge  in  the  bad  habits  which  characterize  the 
camp.  I  believe  that  sleeping  in  tents  is  one  great 
cause  of  illness  ;  for  it  frequently  happens  that  the 
miasma  within  the  tent  is  worse  than  that  without. 
In  a  common  Sibley  tent,  ten  or  more  soldiers  are 
compelled  to  take  up  their  quarters.  At  night, 
they  lie  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  the  feet  towards 
the  hub,  which  is  the  tent-pole.  Generally  very 
improvident,  they  close  every  aperture  before  re 
tiring  ;  and,  in  less  than  two  hours,  the  air  has  all 
been  inhaled  and  exhaled.  In  the  course  of  the 
next  six  hours,  it  undergoes  the  same  process  three 
times.  With  all  creation  to  breathe  in,  the  soldier 


ON   THE   MAECH.  257 

persists  in  occupying  as  small  a  space  as  possible, 
and  in  being  strangely  economical  of  air.  Hence 
it  is  that  the  lazy  camp-life  is  more  injurious  and 
more  demoralizing  to  troops  than  the  march  or  the 
battle-field. 

On  the  night  of  which  I  speak,  the  moon  shone 
though  the  green  foliage,  and  lighted  up  our  camp  ; 
while  the  fires  which  were  built  here  and  there, 
the  blue-coats  hurrying  to  and  fro  on  important 
culinary  business,  and  the  groups  of  singers  filling 
the  woods  with  the  rousing  tones  of  the  "  Star- 
spangled  Banner "  or  some  other  patriotic  air, 
served  to  render  the  scene  at  once  picturesque  and 
romantic. 

The  next  morning  we  heard  that  the  "  Mononga- 
hela  "  was  going  to  try  her  new  gun.  I  was  very 
desirous  of  seeing  the  effect  of  her  shell :  so  some 
half-dozen  of  us  mounted  our  horses,  rode  up  the 
levee  about  four  miles,  then  dismounted,  and  crept 
up  under  the  levee,  until  we  were  immediately 
opposite  the  lower  batteries  of  the  enemy.  The  air 
was  so  calm,  that  we  could  hear  them  shouting  as 
the  gunboat  came  steaming  up.  We  were  within 
range  of  their  rifles ;  and,  under  ordinary  circum 
stances,  should  have  skedaddled  most  ingloriously. 
But  the  attention  of  our  well-wishers  on  the  other 
side  of  the  river  was  too  much  occupied  with  the 
frowning  gunboat  to  take  heed  of  us.  We  sat 


258  ON  THE   MARCH. 

quietly  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  a  good  position 
for  observation.  The  "  Monongahela  "  was  at  first 
full  four  miles  off,  and  her  shell  flew  without  any 
great  degree  of  accuracy.  When;  however,  she 
steamed  up  to  within  two  miles  and  a  half,  she  did 
good  execution.  The  shell  came  whizzing  through 
the  air,  making  us  instinctively  cringe  ;  and  struck 
within  a  circle  two  hundred  feet  in  diameter.  The 
workmen  at  the  fort,  with  becoming  bravado,  at 
first  kept  on  with  their  shovels  and  picks.  But 
once  a  shell  burst  just  over  their  heads,  —  not 
twenty  feet  in  the  air;  and  such  a  scrambling  for 
the  house  never  was  seen.  Pell-mell,  one  over  the 
other,  for  fear  a  second  shell  should  overtake  them, 
they  hurried  on.  When  safely  lodged  in  the  house, 
they  seemed  out  of  danger.  But,  in  a  few  minutes, 
another  well-directed  shell  burst  just  over  the 
ridge-pole ;  and,  like  a  covey  of  frightened  birds, 
they  fluttered  out  of  the  house  in  most  admirable 
confusion,  and  made  for  the  woods.  The  Yankee 
gun  had  scared  them  well ;  for  it  was  full  two  hours 
before  a  man  was  again  seen  on  the  works. 

Early  the  next  day,  we  started  on  our  reconnois- 
sance,  —  two  regiments,  and  a  section  of  artillery. 
We  went  thus  in  force,  because  the  reports  con 
cerning  the  number  of  rebels  on  that  side  of  the 
river  were  very  contradictory.  Capt.  Youngblood, 
of  the  signal -corps,  had  been  taken  the  previous 


ON   THE   MARCH.  259 

evening,  together  with  four  of  his  men.  They 
were  very  much  chagrined  at  their  capture,  and 
evidently  attempted  to  mislead  us  as  much  as 
possible.  We  had  not  gone  more  than  half  a  dozen 
miles,  however,  before  we  learned  all  we  wanted 
to  know.  The  negroes  were  our  informers.  With 
joy  indescribable,  they  rushed  out  of  their  cabins 
at  our  approach,  expressing  the  fervor  of  their 
feelings  in  every  conceivable  way.  "  God  bress 
you  all ! "  cried  an  ancient  and  sooty  dame,  hold 
ing  her  hands  up  to  give  us  her  benediction. 
While  the  whites  on  the  plantation  looked  and 
talked  as  impudently  as  they  dared,  telling  us  all 
sorts  of  stories  to  confuse  us,  the  darkies  would 
gather  round,  listening,  and,  every  once  in  a  while, 
give  vent  to  their  surprise  at  their  master's  men 
dacity  by  the  most  ludicrous  rolling- up  of  the 
eyes,  and  by  clasping  their  hands,  with  the  ejacu 
lation,  "  0  Lord  !  what  is  white  fokes  coming  to? " 
After  having  interrogated  the  planter  sufficient 
ly,  we  often  turned  to  question  the  negroes  ;  and 
generally  learned  the  exact  truth.  At  least,  it  was 
always  evident  that  they  desired  not  to  mislead. 
We  could  trust  them  implicitly  on  all  common 
points.  They  knew  whether  there  were  any  rebels 
in  that  parish  ;  and,  if  there  were,  where  they  were 
stationed.  But  we  never  could  trust  their  estimate 
of  distance  or  numbers.  They  do  not  seem  to 


260  ON  THE   MAECH. 

know  the  difference  between  one  mile  and  six; 
and  are  as  likely  to  say  five  hundred  as  fifty.  This 
defect  is  quite  universal. 

The  negro,  however,  was,  without  a  single  ex 
ception,  the  friend  of  our  army.  He  would  never 
hesitate  to  give  the  required  answer,  whether  it 
pertained  to  the  rebel  force,  or  even  the  private 
affairs  of  his  owners.  Many  and  many  a  time  have 
we  gone  up  to  the  master  with  — 

"  Where  are  your  horses,  sir?" 

And  he  has  answered  with  infinite  naivete,  — 

"  My  horses,  sir,  have  all  been  taken  by  the 
Confederates.  The  last  one  was  stolen  yesterday 
morning." 

And,  when  we  got  out  to  the  gate,  some  sable 
boy  has  quietly  said,  "  De  ole  master  say  de  bosses 
all  gone ;  but  I  know  where  dey  is.  I  find  'em  for 
you,  if  you  come  wid  me." 

The  result  has  been,  that,  in  the  course  of  half 
an  hour,  from  one  to  four  valuable  horses  have  been 
taken  from  their  covert  in  the  woods,  and  added  to 
our  force. 

Every  plantation  is  bounded  on  the  back  side  by 
heavy  woods ;  and  here  is  a  convenient  hiding- 
place  for  all  property  that  ought  not  to  meet  the 
public  eye. 

I  was  sent  up  to  one  house,  at  about  eleven, 
A.M.,  to  say  to  the  planter  that  twenty  of  our  offi 
cers  would  dine  with  him  in  two  hours. 


ON   THE   MARCH.  261 

"  Well,  sir,  I  suppose  I  must  cook  a  dinner  for 
you,"  he  said  in  very  surly  tones. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied.  "  Must  is  the  proper  word, 
under  the  circumstances." 

"Well,  what  shall  I  give  you?  I  have  a  lot  of 
salt  meat  in  the  house  :  will  that  do  ?  " 

"  Hardly,"  I  answered.  "  We  are  not  accustomed 
to  that  kind  of  food ;  and  some  of  our  officers  are 
very  dainty,  and  inclined  to  dyspepsia.  I  see  you 
have  fowls  and  turkeys  in  abundance.  I  think  they 
would  serve  our  turn  very  well.  Be  sure,  if  you 
roast  them,  to  have  them  well  browned,  with  a 
great  deal  of  dressing." 

I  knew  my  man,  of  course  j  and  so  did  the  gene 
ral  when  he  sent  me  there.  His  house  had  been 
the  favorite  rendezvous  of  the  guerillas  for  a  long 
time,  and  we  feared  that  they  had  fared  sumptu 
ously.  Why  should  he  not  feed  us  as  well  as  he 
did  rebels  ?  Sol  turned ;  and,  when  I  got  to  the 
gate,  I  called  on  old  auntie,  and  said,  "Auntie,  in 
two  hours  we  want  dinner.  Don't  forget  that  we 
are  friends."  The  old  woman  chuckled,  and  rolled 
up  her  eyes  as  she  replied,  "  Master,  you  better 
b'leve  none  of  us  will  forget  dat."  I  was  never  in 
my  life  more  certain  of  having  a  good  dinner. 

We  rode  long  and  hard  that  day,  swimming  our 
horses  over  the  bayous,  and  getting  ourselves  into 
a  most  delightfully  drenched  condition.  At  the 


262  ON   THE   MARCH. 

end  of  the  two  hours,  we  had  learned  what  wo 
wanted  to  know,  —  that  there  were  only  a  few 
guerillas  on  that  side  of  the  river ;  and  that  the 
crevasse  caused  by  the  cutting  of  the  levee  by  the 
rebels,  when  they  learned  of  our  landing,  was  im 
passable.  When  we  reached  the  aforementioned 
house,  we  were  greeted  by  a  dinner  such  as  a  sol 
dier  has  no  right  to  see  every  day.  Turkeys,  ducks, 
and  chickens,  roasted,  boiled,  and  broiled,  with  a 
most  charming  absence  of  salt  meat,  met  our  de 
lighted  vision.  The  old  auntie  had  put  on  the 
table  the  very  best  the  house  afforded.  The  best 
dishes,  forks,  and  spoons  were  all  paraded  j  and,  in 
their  eagerness  to  serve  us,  at  least  a  dozen  of  the 
negroes  insisted  on  waiting  on  the  tea-table.  They 
fairly  crowded  the  old  master  and  mistress  out  of 
the  room  ;  for  they  soon,  in  high  dudgeon,  retired 
to  the  gallery  to  meditate  on  the  natural  bashful- 
ness  of  the  Yankee  character. 

The  people  in  all  this  region  were  the  worst  kind 
of  secessionists  :  still,  we  never  failed  to  give  them 
an  opportunity  to  repent  of  their  political  sins  be 
fore  applying  the  extreme  rigor  of  the  law.  Lieut. 
Fuller,  of  Gen.  Dudley's  staff,  was  very  efficient 
and  acute  in  the  administration  of  military  justice. 
He  would  halt  his  squad  of  men  just  out  of  sight 
of  a  rich  planter's  house,  then  ride  up  to  the  door, 
and  knock ;  and  this  is  the  kind  of  conversation 


ON   THE   MARCH.  263 

which  generally  transpired.     It  is  at  once  instruct 
ive  and  amusing. 

"Is  Mr.-     -  within?77 

"  He  is." 

"  Tell  him  I  would  like  to  see  him." 

Mr. soon  made  his  appearance,  looking  very 

red,  and    demanded   the    lieutenant's  business   in 
haughty  tones. 

"  I  have  come,  sir,  to  inquire,"  the  lieutenant 
would  say  in  his  blandest  manner,  "  if  you  would 
like  to  come  under  the  protection  of  the  United 
States  laws,  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  ? " 

Mr.  generally    turned   redder   than    ever, 

and  said  in  a  very  insolent  way, — 

"No,  sir:    I  desire  to  do  no  such  thing.'7 

"  Perhaps,  sir,  you  would  like  a  little  time  to 
consider  the  point,"  the  lieutenant  would  rejoin, 
unwilling  to  take  any  undue  advantage. 

"  No,  sir :  my  mind  is  made  up  already,  and  un 
alterably.77 

"Very  well,  sir,  that  is  all  I  want  to  know. 
Boys,"  calling  to  the  squad,  "you  may  take  this 
gentleman's  mules  and  horses,  and  see  that  his 
sugar "  —  perhaps  he  has  a  couple  of  hundred 
hogsheads  — "  is  carted  to  the  levee  for  ship 
ment." 

"  But,  lieutenant,"  would  break  in  the  astonished 
and  now  thoroughly  awakened  secessionist. 


264  ON   THE   MARCH. 

"  There  is  no  '  but/  sir,  about  it.  You  have 
openly  avowed  unalterable  enmity  to  the  United 
States  ;  and  I  shall  take  from  your  plantation  every 
thing  which  I  can  use  for  the  Government,  and 
every  thing  which  I  can  sell  for  it." 

The  thing  is  handsomely  done.  Discomfited 
secesh  slams  his  door,  cursing  himself  for  a  fool, 
and  the  rest  of  mankind  for  knaves.  The  Yan 
kees  have  got  the  better  of  him  at  last,  and 
he  certainly  will  die  of  mortification.  What  seces- 
sionism  failed  to  do  for  him,  chagrin  will  accom 
plish.  Two  things  I  like  to  see,  —  an  official 
thoroughly  in  earnest,  and  an  avowed  enemy 
roughly  handled. 

This  earnestness  is  a  characteristic  of  Dudley. 
He  enters  into  the  spirit  of  the  soldier's  life,  and 
attends  to  all  its  duties,  con  amore.  He  is  a  very 
strict  disciplinarian ;  and  no  one  can  punish  for  a 
military  offence  like  "  Old  Dud,"  as  the  boys  call 
him.  But  of  one  thing  they  are  all  sure,  —  that, 
when  there  is  work  to  be  done,  he  is  not  found 
in  the  rear  of  his  column. 

He  has  one  practice,  however,  which  is  altoge 
ther  more  interesting  as  a  novelty  than  as  a  habit. 
He  is  accustomed  to  ride,  late  at  night,  through 
the  entire  line  of  his  pickets ;  and  woe  be  unto 
that  poor  fellow  who  is  found  off  duty  !  At  Baton 
Rouge,  our  pickets  are  only  three  miles  from  those 


ON   THE   MARCH.  265 

of  the  enemy,  with  a  dense  wood  between ;  and 
it  is  doubly  important  that  they  should  be  on  the 
alert.  One  night,  at  about  half-past  ten,  he  asked 
me  to  go  the  rounds  with  him.  It  was  quite  dark ; 
and,  ergo,  favorable  to  our  purpose.  After  having 
met  with  the  usual  fortune  for  an  hour  and  a  half, 
he  asked  me  to  attempt  to  pass  a  certain  out 
post,  while  he  remained  in  the  background.  So  I 
dodged  about  until  I  succeeded  in  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  guard  by  my  proximity ;  when  I 
heard,  in  a  gruff  voice,  the  — 

"Who  goes  there?" 

I  was  about  to  disregard  this  challenge ;  when 
the  guard  cried  out  again, — 

"  If  yees  don't  stand  still  just  where  ye  be,  I'll 
see  what  effect  a  bullet  will  perjuce." 

This  threat  was  uttered  in  a  tone  of  such  deci 
sion,  that  I  judged  it  best  to  be  discreet.  The 
picket  marched  me  up  until  my  body  touched  his 
bayonet-point,  all  the  while  berating  me  soundly 
for  trying  to  play  some  game  on  him. 

"  Now,  thin,  tell  me  who  ye  be,  any  way,  and 
what  for  ye're  here." 

I  attempted  to  move  to  one  side,  being  slightly 
uneasy ;  but  he  cried  out, — 

"  Stand  mighty  still,  now,  till  I  call  the  corporal 
of  the  guard,  or  I'll  see  how  far  my  bayonet  will 
go  into  ye  with  one  shove ! " 


266  ON  THE   MARCH. 

I  hope  my  courage  will  not  be  impugned  if  I 
confess  that  I  stood  very  still  indeed. 

"  Now,  my  good  fellow/'  I  began;  "  I  am  a  brother 
soldier.  I  just  want  to  go  out  for  half  an  hour, 
and  promise  to  be  back.  Come,  I'll  give  you  ten 
dollars  to  let  me  go." 

"To  the  Divil  with  your  ten  dollars!"  replied  the 
honest  son  of  Erin,  growing  very  wroth. 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  give  you  fifty.  Only  let  me 
pass  j  for  I  must  go." 

"  Now,  thin,  you  thief  of  a  rebel,"  —  he  was  evi 
dently  very  indignant,  — "  if  ye  budge  an  inch 
till  the  corporal  comes  and  sees  who  ye  be,  I'll 
just  let  drive  at  you!" 

He  cocked  his  gun ;  and  I  made  no  attempt  to 
escape,  as  you  can  easily  guess. 

One  more  trial,  however.  "Now,  look  here,  com 
rade  :  won't  you  let  me  pass  on  any  conditions  ?  " 

"  Not  if  you  were  the  Saviour  of  the  wurruld  !  — 
Corporal  of  the  guard  !     Corporal  of  the  guard  !  " 

I  was  taken,  sandwiched  between  two  soldiers, 
and  marched  up  to  the  guard-tent ;  when  the  gene 
ral  gave  orders  for  my  release,  and  praised  the 
soldiers  for  their  good  conduct.  It  will  be  a  long 
time  before  they  forget  the  kind  words  of  "  Old 
Dud,"  and  it  will  be  a  longer  time  before  he  gets 
me  to  go  the  grand  rounds  with  him  again.  There 
is  something  decidedly  unpleasant  connected  with 


ON   THE   MARCH.  267 

the  bayonet  exercise  and  the  whiz  of  a  bullet.  I 
know  there  is  a  vast  deal  of  romance  about  them  ; 
but  then  there  is  some  reality.  I  like  the  former, 
but  have  a  decided  repugnance  to  the  latter. 

I  hope  that  my  earnestness  in  speaking  kindly  of 
Gen.  Dudley  will  not  lead  the  reader  to  suppose 
that  I  have  an  admiration  for  all  the  men  who 
occupy  an  equally  high  position  of  trust :  on  the 
contrary,  I  am  greatly  chagrined  at  some  of  our 
military  Americanisms.  I  think,  that  in  this  war, 
so  far,  every  thing  seems  to  run  to  a  brigadier- 
generalship.  All  diseases  are  pretty  sure  to  end 
there.  To  wear  "  the  single  star  "  on  the  shoulder 
is  alike  the  ambition  of  the  civilian  and  the  man  of 
war.  If  one  has  climbed  a  high  mountain,  and 
recklessly  exposed  life  and  limb,  he  is  at  once 
rewarded  with  a  white  star  on  a  black  velvet 
ground,  with  the  privilege  of  having  about  his 
person  a  staff  of  cousins  and  aunts,  —  for  there  are 
a  great  many  old  aunts  who  wear  pantaloons,— 
and  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  a  month, 
and  perquisites  to  keep  up  the  dignity  of  his  posi 
tion  with.  If  a  captain,  with  a  squad  of  men, 
wades  through  fifty  miles  of  marsh,  when  there's  a 
good  hard  road  not  forty  rods  off,  and  comes  into 
camp  all  splashed  with  mud,  with  eyes  wide  open, 
and  ready  tongue  to  tell  of  narrow  escapes  from 
tripping  over  logs  secretly  hidden  in  the  swamp 


268  ON   THE   MARCH. 

by  the  rebels,  he  is  at  once  promoted  to  the 
command  of  a  brigade,  and  sent  into  some  obscure 
corner  of  the  Republic,  where  there  is  no  possi 
bility  of  doing  any  good,  and  very  little  possibility 
of  doing  any  harm.  In  Europe,  it  is  considered  a 
great  honor  to  be  promoted  from  first  lieutenant  to 
captain  on  account  of  good  conduct  in  the  field. 
High  offices  are  reached  only  by  slow  degrees,  and 
each  successive  step  is  won  by  a  new  proof  of 
valor.  But  here  we  put  on  our  favorites  the 
seven-league  boots  of  Jack  the  Giant-killer ;  and, 
at  a  single  jump,  they  leap  from  a  position  where 
their  mediocrity  is  not  discovered  to  a  higher  place, 
from  which  they  are  sure  to  be  seen  to  be  what 
they  are,  —  good  lieutenants,  but  very  bad  briga 
dier-generals.  I  believe  in  rewarding  valor:  we 
ought  to  have  medals,  and,  indeed,  a  thousand 
means  of  doing  honor  to  those  who  have  shown 
great  courage  ;  but  surely  it  is  not  necessary  to 
dub  everybody  a  brigadier  who  fights  well,  and 
then  wonder  where  we  can  send  him  so  that  he 
will  be  out  of  harm's  way. 

My  feeling  is,  that  this  epidemic,  or  madness, 
has  done  much  towards  prolonging  the  war.  The 
country  is,  to-day,  over-stocked  with  generals. 
Our  boys  have  many  times  been  sacrificed  by  men 
who  would  have  handled  a  regiment  very  effec 
tively,  but  who  have  floundered  about  in  their 


ON   THE    MARCH.  269 

brigade  like  a  boy  who  lias  suddenly  stepped  into 
too  deep  water.  As  proof  of  this,  you  will  find, 
that,  when  a  speaker  is  introduced  to  an  audience 
as  a  general,  the  people  by  no  means  consider, 
that  therefore  he  is  a  fine  military  man.  On  the 
contrary,  we  all  know,  that,  if  there  is  a  captain  to 
be  found  who  has  been  taken  prisoner  by  the 
rebels,  —  no  matter  about  asking  why ;  who  has 
endured  a  reasonable  amount  of  suffering  at  their 
hands,  and  has  a  glib  tongue  to  tell  his  story  in 
country  villages,  and  excite  the  inhabitants  thereof 
to  the  recruiting-point,  —  we  act  very  foolishly 
about  him.  What  do  we  do  with  him?  Use  him 
simply  as  a  speaker?  —  a  legitimate  and  necessary 
part  of  our  military  machinery,  —  one  of  the  fan 
ners  of  the  flame  of  public  feeling?  Not  at  all. 
We  disgrace  ourselves,  and  the  sacred  cause  in 
which  we  are  engaged,  by  setting  him  at  work  to 
raise  five  thousand  men,  and  then  making  him  a 
brigadier-general  to  command  them.  It  is  too  long 
a  jump.  It  bespeaks  folly  on  our  part,  and  it 
recklessly  imperils  the  lives  of  our  noblest  sons. 
Another  fatal  consequence  that  follows  is  the  con 
stant  flutter  in  which  the  newly-fledged  and  over 
sensitive  monarchs  keep  themselves.  Gen.  Smith 
is  making  a  raid,  and,  forgetting  the  necessity  for 
an  advance  guard,  —  for  the  velvet  on  his  shoul 
ders  is  quite  new,  and  he  has  not  yet  learned  all  the 


270  ON   THE   MAECH. 

ways  of  war,  —  has  fallen  into  an  ambuscade.  He 
does  the  only  two  things  that  are  to  be  done,  — 
fights  a  little,  and  then  retreats.  Being  hotly  pur 
sued  by  the  foe,  he  sends  in  terrible  haste  to  Gen. 
Brown,  who  has  pitched  his  tent  on  a  neighboring 
hill,  for  re-enforcements.  Does  Gen.  Brown  at 
once  order  his  whole  force  into  line,  and  march  to 
the  relief  of  his  compeer  ?  Not  at  all.  He  quietly 
sends  a  messenger,  asking  Gen.  Smith  the  date  of 
his  commission.  It  happens  to  be  Jan.  1,  while 
Gen.  Brown's  is  Dec.  31;  and  so,  instead  of  sending 
relief,  he  gets  into  a  towering  passion,  and  curses 
Gen.  Smith  for  an  unmilitary  dog,  who  attempts  to 
give  orders  to  his  superior  officers.  This  is  all 
very  pretty ;  and,  had  we  nothing  else  to  do  or 
think  of,  we  might  deem  such  little  quarrels  very 
good  sport :  but  we  have  something  else  to  do. 
While  these  two  fools  are  fighting  about  the  differ 
ence  between  Jan.  1  and  Dec.  31,  our  boys  are 
being  shot  down,  our  flag  endangered,  our  cause 
injured,  and  our  Northern  homes  filled  with  the 
shadows  of  death. 

One  thing  is  certain :  too  much  cannot  be  said  of 
our  rank  and  file,  and  not  enough  has  yet  been  told 
of  our  officers.  The  latter,  take  the  army  through, 
are  greatly  inferior  to  the  former.  We  have  in  the 
ranks  men  of.  high  social  position,  of  culture,  of 
wealth,  who  have  been  moved  by  the  loftiest  patri- 


ON   THE   MARCH.  271 

otism  to  give  themselves  to  their  country ;  we 
have  also  pure-minded  country-boys,  farmers'  sons, 
by  the  thousand,  who  were  fired  by  a  holy  thought 
when  they  said  good-by  to  father  and  mother, 
and  the  old  house  in  which  they  were  born ;  and 
we  have  large  numbers  of  officers,  who  were  mem 
bers  of  military  companies  at  a  time  when  they 
were  in  greatest  disrepute,  and  who  got  their  posi 
tion  only  because  they  were  acquainted  with  the 
rudiments  of  military  tactics,  and  presented  them 
selves  at  a  time  when  we  were  glad  to  confide  in 
any  one  who  told  us  that  he  knew  something  of  the 
art  of  war. 

This,  however,  is  gradually  regulating  itself. 

Some  time  after  this,  Gen.  Banks  made  his  de 
monstration  against  the  rebels  opposite  Brashear 
City.  They  were  too  few  in  number  to  offer  any 
great  opposition ;  and,  being  made  up  largely  of 
unwilling  conscripts,  did  little  else  than  effect  a 
masterly  retreat.  At  one  or  two  places  on  the 
road,  they  made  a  stand,  but  only  for  a  short  time. 
I  was  down  the  river  when  the  fight  began,  and 
without  any  means  of  transportation.  We  —  Chap 
lain  Wheelock  and  I  —  hurried  by  rail  to  Brashear 
City.  That  evening,  the  booming  of  cannon  in  the 
distance  made  us  very  uneasy.  There  were  no 
means  of  getting  over  the  bay  until  the  next  after- 


272  ON   THE   MARCH. 

noon ;  and,  by  that  time,  the  army,  which  made 
splendid  marches,  was  about  fifty  miles  away. 
When  once  we  got  on  the  other  side  of  the  bay, 
however,  we  succeeded  in  gobbling  two  tenth-rate 
horses  and  saddles,  and  started.  It  was  a  long 
chase.  The  first  afternoon,  we  rode  thirty  miles, 
and  through  a  country  swept  clean  of  every  thing 
by  two  armies ;  and  the  second  day,  after  having 
ridden  fifty-five  miles,  we  came  up  with  the  rear 
division  of  our  forces.  Never  did  an  army  make 
cleaner  work  than  ours.  The  best  horses  had  all 
been  taken  by  the  Texans  of  the  enemy ;  but,  in 
their  haste,  they  left  every  thing  that  was  not 
easily  portable.  Our  boys  drove  to  the  rear  every 
pony  and  mule,  every  ox  and  cow  and  sheep.  They 
did  not  leave,  on  an  average,  two  chickens  to  a 
plantation.  Wherever  they  encamped,  the  fences 
served  as  beds  and  firewood.  A  more  forlorn  and 
destitute  set  of  people  never  were  seen.  Some 
cried,  some  cursed,  some  whined ;  and  some,  over 
come  with  fear,  hid  themselves  in  the  woods,  leav 
ing  every  thing  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  army. 
I  could  not  help  contrasting  these  times  and  our 
policy  with  the  times  and  policy  of  two  years  ago 
in  Virginia.  This  was  war,  with  all  its  penalties 
and  all  its  horrors :  that  was  a  system  of  fighting 
by  which  nobody  was  hurt,  and  nothing  injured. 
I  remember  well,  how  one  of  our  colonels  had 


ON    THE    MARCH.  273 

marched  his  men  for  twenty  hours  through  mud  and 
rain ;  and,  having  bivouacked  at  night  on  a  large 
plantation,  began  to  use  the  fences  to  warm  and 
dry  his  boys,  and  cook  their  food.  He  was  ordered 
by  one  of  our  brigadiers  to  stop  j  and  was  actually 
forced  to  detail  a  squad  of  men  to  guard  the  fence, 
while  his  soldiers  went  to  bed  cold  and  wet  and 
hungry.  That  policy,  thank  God !  is  buried.  In 
this  department,  so  far,  war  has  been  only  war. 
These  very  houses  that  were  ransacked,  had,  each 
of  them,  a  representative  in  the  army  that  we  were 
chasing ;  and  now  they  were  suffering  the  legiti 
mate  consequences  of  rebellion.  It  was  my  first 
peep  into  rebeldom.  I  was  in  a  province  and 
among  a  people  recently  conquered ;  and  my  e}res 
and  ears  were  both  busy,  and  my  experiences  were 
exceedingly  interesting.  Nothing  rejoiced  me  more 
than  the  fact,  everywhere  patent,  that  the  poorer 
classes  —  the  non-slaveholding  classes  —  are,  al 
most  without  exception,  on  our  side.  The  unity  of 
the  South  (as  I  have  shown  elsewhere)  is  simply  a 
bold  figure  of  rhetoric.  The  poor  are  weary  of  the 
war :  it  has  done  and  it  promises  to  do  them  no 
good  whatever.  If  the  South  conquers,  their  so 
cial  position  is  as  it  was.  They  have  always  been 
the  serfs  of  the  rich  planters,  doing  as  they  were 
bidden,  and  voting  as  they  were  advised,  with  no 
privileges,  and  no  chance  for  social  advancement. 

23 


274  ON   THE   MARCH. 

If  the  North  is  successful,  they  see  clearly  that  the 
old  system  of  vassalage  is  broken  up.  The  impassa 
ble  barriers  of  society  between  the  rich  and  the 
poor  will  be  destroyed.  The  chances  for  compe 
tition  in  business,  and  the  opportunities  for  edu 
cation  (they  speak  of  this  with  a  great  deal  of 
feeling),  will  be  vastly  increased.  They  are  not 
exuberant  in  expressing  their  hopes  for  our  tri 
umph  5  indeed,  how  can  they  be  ?  for  they  have 
each  a  son  conscripted,  and  somewhere  in  the 
Southern  army :  but  still  it  is  evident  that  they 
understand  the  issues  of  the  day  as  well  as  we. 
Another  thing  which  struck  me  with  some  surprise 
was  the  general  scarcity  of  food.  The  richest 
planters  could  give  us  nothing  better  than  corn- 
bread  and  the  coarsest  Texan  beef.  They  had  no 
coffee,  and  said  that  they  had  had  none  for  more 
than  a  year.  One  wealthy  lady,  whose  husband,  a 
few  days  before,  had  run  his  best  negroes  and 
mules  back  into  the  country,  confessed  (and  her 
eyes  snapped  as  she  did  so)  that  she  had  enjoyed 
but  two  meals  a  day  for  more  than  six  months,  and 
those  of  the  humblest  kind.  There  is  but  little 
doubt  that  the  bread  stuffs  of  the  Confederacy  are 
very  low.  England  and  France  —  those  immacu 
late  champions  of  Liberty  —  have  done  all  they 
could  to  avert  the  inevitable  starvation  by  filling- 
Texas  full  of  edibles ;  but,  after  all,  it  is  quite  evi- 


ON   THE   MARCH.  275 

dent  that  all  interior  towns  have  suffered  im 
mensely  for  every  thing  except  corn-meal  and 
coarse  meat. 

There  was  very  little  excitement  to  be  found  in 
the  rear  of  the  column :  so,  the  next  morning,  hav 
ing  changed  our  jaded  horses  for  two  better  beasts 
with  a  kind-hearted  rebel  (who,  however,  did  not 
seem  to  relish  the  trade  so  much  as  we),  we  started 
for  the  advance.  We  were  most  of  the  time  with 
Capt.  Williamson's  company  of  cavalry  skirmishers. 
This,  certainly,  is  the  most  exciting  arm  of  the 
service.  Fast  riding,  dashing  onsets,  scouring  the 
woods,  all  come  in  as  a  part  of  the  skirmisher's 
duty.  From  that  time  till  we  reached  Opelousas, 
we  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  rear-guard  of  the  re 
treating  column.  Every  hour  or  two,  they  would 
make  a  stand,  deliver  a  volley  or  two,  and  then 
ride  with  all  their  might  for  another  covert.  These 
Texans  almost  always  dismount  when  they  fire. 
Hiding  their  bodies  behind  their  horses,  they  rest 
their  guns  in  the  saddles,  and  thus  render  our 
return-fire  useless  until  they  are  mounted.  Once 
we  had  a  fine  view  of  them.  Some  four  or  five 
hundred  lingered  by  the  edge  of  a  thick  wood, 
hoping  to  get  a  few  chance  shots  at  us.  One  of 
our  Parrott  guns  was  brought  to  bear  on  them ; 
and,  in  a  very  few  minutes,  they  concluded  that  in 
the  woods  was  better  than  out  of  them.  At  another 


276  ON   THE    MARCH. 

time,  we  came  suddenly  upon  a  broad  plain ;  and 
on  the  farther  side  of  it  were  some  two  thousand  of 
the  foe,  all  mounted.  We  sat,  and  looked  at  them 
for  a  little  while  ;  but,  as  our  cannon  had  been  mired 
about  a  mile  in  the  rear,  we  were  unable  to  make 
an  attack.  Our  cavalry  were  itching  for  a  charge  ; 
but  it  was  concluded  best  not  to  risk  any  thing : 
so,  after  the  interchange  of  some  hundred  or  two 
shots,  they  moved  quietly  away.  Then  the  chase 
began  anew.  Once  only  was  the  advance  cavalry 
taken  by  surprise.  There  is,  close  to  the  little 
village  of  Opelousas,  a  dense  wood.  From  infor 
mation  which  we  had  gained,  we  felt  sure  that 
there  was  no  force  in  the  thicket  j  and  so  rode  lei 
surely  on.  When  within  about  a  hundred  yards 
of  a  covert,  whiz,  whiz,  came  the  bullets,  singing 
around  our  heads.  Only  two  of  our  boys  tumbled 
from  their  saddles  j  and  these  were  killed  instantly. 
Of  the  two,  one  was  a  negro.  He  was  acting  as 
guide  ;  but  was  well  armed,  like  the  rest  of  the 
cavalry.  He  was  a  brave  fellow  ;  and,  when  he 
was  struck,  was  in  the  van.  I  remained  by  his 
side  for  some  little  time,  anxious  to  see  the  effect 
produced  on  the  soldiers  by  the  sight  of  death.  I 
had  been  talking  with  Porte  Crayon,  just  before, 
on  this  question.  He  surprised  me  by  telling  me 
of  the  perfect  indifference  on  such  matters  that 
characterizes  -the  soldier.  He  said,  that,  after  the 


ON   THE    MARCH.  277 

battle  of  Antietam,  the  over-wearied  boys  laid  down 
on  the  field,  by  the  side  of  the  killed,  to  sleep,  and 
sometimes  even  used  their  dead  comrades  for  pil 
lows.  One  man  he  told  me  of,  who  brought  his 
fiddle,  which  he  had  carried  through  the  campaign, 
and,  sitting  down  on  the  nearest  dead  body,  began 
to  play  and  sing.  Indeed,  there  is  no  merrier  time 
in  the  soldier's  life  than  just  before  and  just  after 
a  battle.  When  the  wounded  are  brought  into  the 
surgeon's  room,  they  are  met  by  the  jokes  of  their 
comrades,  also  wounded. 

"  Well,  Jim,  where  did  you  get  hit,  old  boy  ?  " 

Jim  grunts  out,  "  The  rascals  took  me  in  the  hip  ; 
and  now  I  shall  have  to  hobble  all  the  rest  of  my 
days.  Well,  there's  nothing  like  dying  for  one's 
country ! " 

I  stood  by  the  dead  soldier  as  our  boys  went  by, 
and  was  struck  by  their  cold  indifference.  Once 
in  a  while,  I  noticed  a  look  of  pity ;  but,  generally, 
the  impulse  to  gaze  was  only  curiosity. 

"  Look,  Tom !  there's  one  covey  gone.  Say, 
they  hit  him  right  in  the  chops,  didn't  they?" 

It  is  not  on  the  battle-field  that  soldiers  recognize 
the  solemnity  of  death.  Then  they  are  under  the 
influence  of  excitement.  But  I  have  seen  them 
affected  to  tears  as  they  stood  by  the  grave  of  a 
comrade ;  and  while  I  spoke  to  them  of  those  far 
away,  whose  hearts  would  be  stricken  by  the  sad 


278  ON   THE    MARCH. 

news,  and  of  that  other  home,  the  soldier's  home, 
where  the  good  Father  has  a  room  in  his  great 
mansion  for  every  true  soul,  they  have  been  sub 
dued,  and  even  bowed  down.  A  soldier,  like  a 
sailor,  is  a  creature  of  impulse.  His  life  makes 
him  so.  Every  day  is  so  full  of  uncertainty,  that 
at  length  he  feels  that  the  immediate  present  alone 
is  his ;  and  he  lives  in  it  and  enjoys  it  as  best  he 
can.  Tour  days  are  like  the  links  of  a 'chain  :  this 
one  presumes  the  next,  and  so  on  indefinitely.  His 
days  are  all  insulated.  There  is  no  necessary  con 
nection  between  to-day  and  to-morrow.  He  holds 
this  hour  firmly  in  his  grasp :  the  next  he  may  not 
be  able  to  hold.  So  he  grows  reckless  and  care 
less. 

After  our  column  reached  Opelousas,  I  left  it, 
intending  to  go  on  with  my  work  in  the  labor  sys 
tem  ;  and  I  found  but  one  thing,  that,  to  my  mind, 
marred  the  glory  of  our  march  through  the  Teche. 
That  was  the  extensive  system  of  plundering  and 
pillaging  which  was  carried  on  by  the  stragglers,  — 
a  class  of  men  sufficiently  large  to  attract  atten 
tion.  I  afterwards  found  that  their  practices  had 
been  made  known  to  the  general,  and  that  several 
of  the  offenders  had  been  condemned  to  be  shot. 
I  am  not  one  of  those  who  would  have  mercy  on  a 
rebel ;  but  even  war  is  not  exactly  barbarism  :  it 
does  not  give  a  soldier  license  to  do  as  he  chooses 


ON    THE   MARCH.  279 

with  what  does  not  belong  to  him.  He  has  no 
right  to  enter  a  poor  man's  house,  and,  holding  his 
pistol  to  his  head,  frighten  him  out  of  two  hundred 
dollars  in  gold  and  silver,  —  his  all.  The  soldier  is 
hired  to  fight.  If  he  is  in  the  enemy's  country,  he 
should  feed  off  and  live  on  him  :  more  than  this 
he  has  no  right  to  do.  What  is  worst  of  all, 
this  system  of  plundering  demoralizes  a  force,  and, 
in  a  short  time,  renders  it  ungovernable.  Let 
it  be  known  that  the  soldiers  may  leave  the  ranks 
at  will,  and  in  a  short  time  you  will  have  no  men  to 
command. 

What  made  me  more  indignant  was  the  fact,  that 
the  men  who  were  bearing  the  brunt  of  the  battle 
were  not  the  ones  who  were  enriching  themselves. 
They  simply  hewed  a  way,  through  which  others, 
less  worthy,  came  at  their  leisure.  The  stragglers 
numbered  not  more  than  five  hundred  in  all.  These 
did  all  the  mischief.  One  of  these  we  found  in  the 
Newtown  jail,  with  a  thousand  dollars  in  gold  and 
silver  on  his  person.  If  you  should  go  up  to  any 
cottage  within  fifty  miles  of  the  rear,  you  would 
probably  find  some  five  or  six  of  these  fellows  sit 
ting  in  the  gallery,  smoking,  sleeping,  or  boasting 
of  their  exploits.  If  you  should  take  the  trouble 
to  empty  their  pockets,  you  would  find  an  assort 
ment  of  articles  sufficiently  large  for  a  Jew  to 
commence  business  with.  They  would  show  you 


280  ON   THE   MARCH. 

gold  pencils,  silver  spoons,  and  large  rolls  of  Con 
federate  bills,  and  offer  to  sell  you  relics  enough  to 
fill  a  good-sized  museum.  There  was  an  independ 
ence  or  an  audacity  about  these  fellows  which  was 
very  striking.  They  would  enter  a  house  with  the 
air  of  one  who  owned  the  place,  and  order  the  land 
lord  to  prepare  dinner  for  two  or  three,  as  the  case 
might  be ;  and,  while  the  frightened  Creole  was 
hurrying  and  bustling  to  do  their  bidding,  they  were 
quietly  opening  all  his  drawers,  looking  under  his 
beds,  unlocking  his  trunks,  and  making  whatever 
discoveries  they  could.  Perhaps,  by  the  time  dinner 
was  announced,  the  whole  party  would  have  donned 
a  new  suit  of  clothes  ;  and,  not  satisfied  with  eating 
the  best  the  poor  man  had,  would  proceed  to  fill  their 
pockets  with  his  watches,  his  wife's  jewelry,  and  all 
the  little  articles  of  vertu  which  could  be  found.  At 
Franklin,  Mr.  Secesh  and  his  family  were  quietly 
seated  at  the  breakfast-table.  Upon  congratulating 
himself,  that,  so  far,  his  property  had  remained  in 
tact,  he  saw  half  a  dozen  soldiers  just  entering  his 
gate.  They  came  very  leisurely  into  the  room 
where  he  sat  with  his  wife  and  children,  and  politely 
requested  them  to  rise  from  the  table,  and  make 
room  for  Uncle  Sam's  boys  :  then,  after  having 
satisfied  their  hunger  with  what  the  planter  had 
supplied  for  himself,  they  pocketed  every  silver  fork 
and  spoon,  and  as  leisurely  took  their  departure.  I 


ON   THE   MARCH.  281 

confess,  that,  in  this  particular  instance,  I  heard 
Mr.  Secesh  whine  about  his  trouble,  with  a  great 
deal  of  inward  chuckling.  He  was  a  bad  man,  a 
Northern  man,  an  adventurer,  who  had  married 
a  large  plantation,  and  out-Heroded  Herod  in  his 
virulence  against  the  Yankees. 

But  the  practice  I  most  deeply  deplore.  Once 
I  came  near  getting  into  difficulty  by  trying  to 
check  it.  I  remained  all  night  with  a  man  who 
had  suffered  severely  from  these  military  thieves. 
About  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  was  roused  by 
a  tremendous  noise  down  stairs.  Dressing  myself 
with  all  due  haste,  I  went  to  the  window,  and, 
looking  down,  saw  one  of  the  gang  just  emerging 
from  the  cellar  window  below,  his  arms  and  pockets 
full  of  plunder.  Presenting  my  pistol  to  his  caput, 
I  demanded  what  he  was  doing.  He  turned  sud 
denly,  caught  sight  of  the  ugly  little  revolver  close 
to  his  brains,  and,  with  a  rapidity  only  equalled  by 
a  turtle  drawing  in  his  head  when  struck,  he  tum 
bled  back  into  the  room,  greatly  surprised.  I  went 
to  the  door  to  find  the  rest  of  the  gang,  when  I 
was  met  by  the  roundest  and  most  complete  curs 
ing  it  has  ever  been  my  fortune  to  receive.  Ex 
pletives  which  I  had  supposed  were  long  since 
obsolete,  and  all  the  most  damnatory  phrases  in 
our  language,  were  used  with  refreshing  license. 
The  men  had  screened  themselves  on  the  other 


282  ON   THE   MAECH. 

side  of  a  bayou  ;  and,  when  I  drew  my  weapon 
on  them,  they  dodged  behind  the  levee,  and 
made  good  their  escape.  Just  then,  I  recollected 
that  I  was  in  my  shirt-sleeves,  and  without  any 
insignia  of  rank,  and  started  for  the  house  to 
get  my  coat.  I  had  proceeded  but  a  few  steps, 
however,  when  I  found  myself  surrounded  by  five 
of  the  gang,  each  with  his  musket.  A  pretty  fix 
to  be  in,  surely !  The  rascals  might  shoot  me,  and 
then  swear  that  I  was  a  planter  who  had  offered 
them  violence.  Nothing  but  the  most  unadul 
terated  bravado  would  clear  me.  So,  just  as  I 
was  pondering  what  it  was  best  to  do,  the  fellow 
who  had  played  the  turtle  so  beautifully,  quietly 
cocked  his  musket,  and  said,  — 

"  Throw  down  your  pistol,  or  I  will  shoot !  " 

This,  of  course,  was  unendurable.  My  pistol 
had  on  it  the  name  of  the  friend  who  gave  it  to 
me,  and  it  was  one  of  the  last  things  to  be  given 
up. 

He  repeated  his  very  praiseworthy  determina 
tion  to  shoot  me ;  when  I  rather  took  him  by  sur 
prise  by  bellowing  in  my  loudest  tones, — 

"  Sirrah,  I  place  you  under  arrest ;  and,  if  you 
budge  an  inch,  you  shall  become  intimately  ac 
quainted  with  that "  (displaying  my  pistol  to  the 
best  possible  advantage).  "  Shoulder  arms  !  "  I 
repeated,  as  loud  as  I  could  bawl. 


ON   THE   MARCH.  283 

The  fellow  was  completely  disconcerted,  and  ac 
tually  came  to  the  shoulder  arms ;  when  I  put  on 
the  coat  I  had  sent  for  (having  on  shoulder-straps, 
of  course),  and  placed  the  fellow  under  arrest. 
But  I  never  preferred  charges  against  him,  and  so 
the  matter  ended  as  a  joke. 

But,  as  a  simple  example  of  the  impudence  and 
daring  of  these  stragglers,  the  anecdote  serves  its 
purpose. 

There  was  one  thing  which  aroused  the  just  in 
dignation  of  the  army.  It  was  the  attempt  of  the 
inhabitants  to  deceive  us.  In  some  conspicuous 
place  would  be  hung  up  the  British  flag,  or  the 
red,  white,  and  blue  of  the  pretended  French  popu 
lation.  Not  once  between  Brashear  City  and  Ope- 
lousas  was  the  French  or  English  flag  waving  in 
company  with  that  of  the  United  States.  To  my 
mind,  they  had  no  right  to  claim  exemption  from 
the  ravages  of  war  on  the  ground  that  they  were 
British  or  French  subjects.  They  were  citizens  of 
this  country.  Most  of  them  had  lived  here  from 
ten  to  twenty-five  years.  They  had  made  their 
fortunes  here,  had  married  their  wives  here,  and 
lived  in  luxuriant  ease  on  the  property  of  their 
wives,  who  were  subject  to  the  United-States  Gov 
ernment  and  laws.  By  some  quibble  of  interna 
tional  law,  such  beings  may  have  the  military  right 
to  claim  protection ;  but  their  moral  right  is  ex- 


284     '  ON   THE   MARCH. 

tremely  doubtful.  The  property  which  has  been 
acquired  under  our  Government  ought  not  to  be 
held  as  secure  and  exempted  from  confiscation, 
unless  there  are  two  flags;  —  the  one  proving  alle 
giance  to  the  British  sovereign,  and  the  other 
showing  respect  for,  and  temporary  allegiance  to, 
the  United  States.  Our  soldiers  caught  this  idea 
at  once.  They  regarded  the  exhibition  of  a  foreign 
flag  as  a  direct  insult,  and  the  inmates  of  such 
houses  had  very  little  mercy  shown  them.  I  verily 
believe,  that,  if  a  land-owner  had  hoisted  the  Ameri 
can  flag,  not  a  soldier  would  have  touched  his 
property.  It  would  have  been  held  sacred  by  the 
rudest  of  our  boys.  But  the  foreign  flag  seemed 
defiant ;  and  the  men  who  raised  it  (in  many  cases, 
they  openly  avowed  their  sympathy  with  the 
South)  were  no  more  free  than  their  neighbors 
from  violence  done  to  themselves  and  their  prop 
erty.  Nearly  all  the  foreigners  whom  I  have  met 
have  been  insulting  cowards.  They  have  spoken 
against  the  "  invaders,"  until  compelled  to  silence 
by  direct  order ;  and  have,  I  am  glad  to  say,  suf 
fered  equal  damage  with  those  who  were  more 
honest  and  more  manly. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  city,  I  heard  the  glori 
ous  rumor,  that  five  hundred  of  our  cavalry  had 
made  their  way  through  five  hundred  miles  of 
rebel  territory,  and  were  safely  encamped  just 


ON   THE   MARCH.  285 

beyond  our  pickets  at  Baton  Rouge.  There  was 
a  certain  sonorousness  and  resonance  to  the  rumor, 
that  gave  it  the  appearance  of  truth.  It  had  not 
about  it  that  dimness,  vagueness,  and  bashfulness 
with  which  most  of  Madam  Rumor's  children  make 
their  appearance.  It  came  rattling  down  on  the 
ground  in  full  armor,  like  a  healthy,  strong-limbed 
man.  I  shut  myself  up  in  my  room  for  full  an 
hour,  wondering  if  it  could  be  true  ;  then  rushed 
out  to  the  St.  Charles,  looked  on  the  book,  and 
saw  the  name  of  Col.  Grierson  in  good  round  cha 
racters.  It  was  not  a  dream  ;  and  so,  with  a  heart 
swelling  with  excitement,  I  cried  out,  "  Eureka  !  " 
and  rushed  hither  and  thither,  until  I  found  the 
hero,  whom  I  grasped  by  the  hand  as  though  he 
had  been  my  brother.  He  had  been  through 
every  conceivable  danger.  The  enemy  had  sought 
to  cut  him  off,  first  with  five  thousand  men,  and 
again  with  three  thousand ;  but,  with  a  rapidity 
which  argued  skill  and  daring,  he  made  long  cir 
cuits,  and  got  free.  He  had  as  many  as  five 
skirmishes  in  the  course  of  twenty-four  hours. 
Several  times  he  charged  on  superior  forces,  and 
scattered  them.  He  confirmed,  in  the  most  as 
sured  manner,  the  opinions  which  I  have  already 
expressed  concerning  the  strength  of  the  Con 
federacy,  and  the  feelings  of  certain  classes  of  the 
people.  He  said,  "  The  Confederacy  is  an  empty 


286  ON   THE   MARCH. 

shell.  I  was  surprised  at  the  appearance  of  things 
inside  the  ring.  The  strength  of  the  rebels  has 
been  over-estimated.  They  have  neither  the  ar 
mies  nor  the  resources  we  have  given  them  credit 
for.  Passing  through  their  country,  I  found  thou 
sands  of  good  Union  men,  who  are  ready  and 
anxious  to  return  to  their  allegiance  the  moment 
they  can  do  so  with  safety  to  themselves  and 
families.  They  will  rally  round  the  old  flag  by 
scores,  wherever  our  army  advances.  I  could 
have  brought  away  a  thousand  with  me  who 
were  anxious  to  come,  —  men  whom  I  found 
fugitives  from  their  home,  hid  in  the  swamps 
and  forests,  where  they  were  hunted  like  wild 
beasts,  by  the  conscripting  -  officers,  with  blood 
hounds." 

At  Brookhaven,  the  citizens  begged  for  paroles. 
At  Louisville,  every  house  was  closed.  The  inha 
bitants  had  been  told,  that,  if  the  Yankees  should 
ever  come,  they  would  ravish  their  daughters,  but 
cher  their  sons,  and  pillage  their  homes.  When 
they  were  disabused  of  this  idea,  —  of  course,  they 
were  mostly  poor  Creoles,  —  they  were  profuse  in 
their  hospitalities,  and  in  their  expressions  of  a 
hope  that  the  Union  would  be  restored. 

This  was  the  testimony  of  all  the  officers.  It 
proves  what  I  have  before  asserted,  —  that  this 
Rebellion  originated  only  in  the  hearts  of  the  large 


ON   THE   MARCH.  287 

land-owners ;  that  the  humbler  classes  were  won 
to  acquiescence  by  bribes,  threats,  and  vigilance 
committees ;  that  to-day  these  same  land-owners 
have  lost  their  influence  with  the  people,  who  see 
through  the  perfidy  of  their  advisers,  and  are 
ready  to  welcome  the  flag  of  Washington  to  their 
hearts  and  homes. 

The  gallant  colonel  gave  valuable  evidence  upon 
another  subject.  He  has  proved,  beyond  all  doubt, 
the  exceeding  value  of  cavalry  as  a  military  arm. 
For  some  unaccountable  reason,  there  has  been  a 
strong  prejudice  against  it ;  and  yet  it  has  done 
more  than  any  thing  else  to  give  the  rebels  their 
reputation  for  quick  movements,  surprises,  and 
raids.  There  is  an  opinion  abroad,  that  our  army 
is  naturally  sluggish  ;  that  its  chief  characteristics 
are  fortitude  and  patience  ;  while  the  rebels,  lack 
ing  in  these  qualities,  make  up  for  them  by  a  cer 
tain  genius  for  dash,  which  makes  them  a  terrible 
foe.  Wherever  Stuart  rides,  he  carries  terror 
with  him.  His  victories  are  half  won  before  he 
strikes  a  blow.  Our  soldiers  feel  that  he  may 
pounce  on  them  at  any  minute,  and  that  he  is 
resistless  as  a  hawk  in  a  fowl-yard.  The  rebels 
have  done  more  to  win  respect  for  themselves  by 
their  cavalry  raids  than  by  all  their  infantry  move 
ments.  Even  in  Europe,  it  is  said  that  the  South 
is  brilliant,  quick,  daring  even  to  recklessness ; 


288  ON   THE   MARCH. 

while  the  North  is  cautious,  slow,  but  ponderous. 
The  criticism  is  a  true  one ;  but  there  is  no  need 
of  its  being  so.  We  are  not  a  slow  people.  We 
have  all  the  elements  of  character  necessary  to 
brilliant  movements  largely  developed.  The  little 
cavalry  we  have  abundantly  proves  this.  The 
rebels  cannot  show  horsemen  more  tractable,  firm, 
enduring,  or  skilful,  than  those  of  Magee  or  Barret, 
Williamson  or  Perkins.  I  have  ridden  with  these 
men,  and  know  how  they  handle  themselves.  They 
are  ready  for  any  service,  and  are  most  delighted 
when  they  have  a  chance  to  show  their  endurance. 
I  saw  Perkins,  at  Franklin,  get  off  his  horse,  lie 
down  on  his  back,  have  a  bullet-wound  in  his  leg 
dressed,  mount  his  beast  again,  and  dash  into  the 
woods,  followed  by  his  men  with  a  wild  hurrah ! 
I  have  seen  Williamson,  when  he  had  his  hand 
badly  wounded  by  a  sabre,  carry  his  company  over 
the  plain  to  flank  the  enemy,  and  drive  them  from 
their  covert.  I  know  it  is  said  that  Southerners 
are  riders  by  nature  ;  but  there  is  a  vast  deal  of 
sophistry  in  the  remark.  Our  boys  will  ride  at 
break-neck  speed,  feet  out  of  the  stirrups,  swing 
ing  their  swords  in  great  and  little  circles,  over 
ditches  and  through  the  woods,  and  into  the  midst 
of  the  enemy ;  and  that  is  as  good  riding  as  you 
need  for  the  cavalry  service.  Our  cavalry  horses, 
too,  are  vastly  superior  to  those  of  the  enemy 


ON   THE   MARCH.  289 

generally.  Northern  horses  will  weigh,  on  an 
average,  nine  hundred  pounds  ;  while  those  of  the 
Southerners,  generally  a  cross  between  a  Creole 
pony  and  what  is  called  an  American  horse,  will 
not  average  more  than  eight  hundred  pounds.  In 
a  charge,  that  hundred  pounds  is  worth  every 
thing.  You  have  not  merely  impetuosity,  but  you 
have  weight,  which  is  a  very  important  item.  Let 
us  get  over  this  unfortunate  prejudice ;  let  us 
give  the  army  its  due  proportion  of  cavalry,  and 
allow  it  to  make  raids  on  the  enemy;  and  our 
boys,  I  am  sure,  will  carry  terror  wherever  they  go,- 
and  find  their  way  into  the  remotest  corners  of  the 
Confederacy,  and  take  rough  hold  of  its  very  heart. 

Why,  neither  Morgan  with  all  his  boasted  exploits, 
nor  Stuart,  nor  Wheeler,  can  tell  a  story  that  will 
compare  in  heroism  with  that  of  Col.  Grierson. 
They  never  traversed  five  hundred  miles  of  our 
country,  —  a  large  stint  for  sixteen  days,  —  doing 
injury  which  cannot  be  repaired  in  three  months. 
What  they  have  done  is  child's  play  by  the  side  of 
this. 

The  moral  effect  of  Grierson's  exploit  must  be 
tremendous ;  yet  it  is  only  one  of  a  long  series  of 
exploits  which  our  boys  are  all  ready  to  achieve. 
All  they  ask  is  permission,  and  in  a  wonderfully 
short  time  they  will  so  harass  and  terrify  the  in 
fantry  of  the  enemy,  —  tearing  up  the  railroads, 

24 


290  ON   THE   MARCH. 

destroying  their  telegraphs,  seizing  their  commis 
sary-stores, —  that  they  will  fly  to  their  homes 
in  dismay.  It  is  in  the  Northern  heart  to  do  this. 
Grierson  has  commenced :  Magee  and  Perkins  and 
Williamson  are  ready  to  carry  it  on. 

The  army  was  afterwards,  a  second  time,  taken 
to  Port  Hudson.  It  had  been  promised  to  the  nine- 
months' men,  that  they  should  return  to  their  homes 
in  August  vid  the  Mississippi  River.  All  of  us 
hoped  the  promise  might  prove  a  prophecy;  but 
few  had  any  faith  in  it.  During  the  first  few 
months  of  sixty-three,  we  all  (I  mean  the  whole 
North)  lived  on  faith  alone.  We  knew  that  we 
were  in  the  right;  that  our  cause  claimed  the  help 
of  the  Almighty  ;  and  that,  some  time,  —  Heaven 
alone  knew  when,  —  we  should  see  light.  It  was 
a  dark,  dreary  time.  The  Potomac  Army  had 
crossed  the  Rappahannock,  and,  under  glorious  Joe 
Hooker,  was  going  straight  into  Richmond ;  when 
the  rebel  force  met  it,  threw  it  into  confusion,  and 
added  another  to  its  numberless  retreats.  It  seems 
to  be  a  doomed  force.  Its  officers  are  as  brave  and 
as  skilful  as  those  of  any  other  corps  d'armee  ;  its 
men  are  the  very  flower  of  the  land ;  their  courage 
has  never  been  impeached :  still  they  have,  in  the 
last  two  years,  done  little  else  than  check  the  raids 
of  the  enemy,  and  keep  Washington  from  being 
captured. 


ON   THE   MARCH.  291 

I  should  like  to  whisper  into  your  ear,  by  way  of 
parenthesis,  that,  if  some  serious  accident  should 
happen  to  the  telegraph-wire  between  Washington 
and  the  headquarters  of  the  Potomac  Army  (and 
by  this  time  it  must  be  terribly  tangled,  if  we 
judge  by  the  contradictory  messages  it  has  car 
ried),  the  Eastern  force  would  at  once  accomplish 
some  brilliant  achievement.  Interference  is  the 
grand  cause  of  failure.  Shut  up  a  few  officials  I 
could  name,  and  Richmond  will  be  ours  within 
thirty  days. 

In  the  West,  nothing  had  been  done.  Rosecrans, 
Grant,  Burnside,  had  been  busy  enough,  but  had 
effected  nothing.  We  were  at  a  stand-still  all  over 
the  country.  Thoughtful  men  began  to  ask,  "How 
long  will  the  people  bear  this  silence,  which  seems 
so  like  defeat,  and  not  murmur  ?  "  And  yet,  be  it 
said  to  the  praise  of  the  people,  there  was  no  sign 
of  misgiving  on  the  part  of  the  North :  it  still  gave 
its  treasure  and  its  sons. 

Those  months  were  the  dark  hour  before  the 
dawn.  We  knew  it  not  then  ;  but  so  it  proved. 

When  our  boys  invested  Port  Hudson,  they  had, 
most  of  them,  been  in  the  Teche  for  a  month ;  and, 
having  started  in  light  marching  order,  were  with 
out  change  of  clothing.  Yet  they  were  uniformly 
cheerful,  enduring  the  fatigues  and  deprivations 
of  the  campaign  like  veterans.  They  had  no  tents, 


292  ON   THE    MARCH. 

and,  for  a  long  while,  no  meat;  nothing  but  coffee 
and  hard-tack. 

Our  position  was  on  the  further  edge  of  a  heavily 
wooded  lot ;  and  our  line,  shutting  the  rebel  works 
in,  was  about  seven  miles  long.  On  the  river-side, 
the  enemy's  position  was  so  fortified  by  nature,  that 
no  number  of  gunboats  could  hope  to  capture  it. 
On  the  land-side,  it  was  protected  by  a  high  para 
pet,  in  front  of  which  was  a  ditch  about  twenty 
feet  wide  and.  six  feet  deep.  Between  our  posi 
tion  and  theirs  was  what  looked  to  be  a  plain, 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide  ;  but,  when  examined 
by  the  proper  officers,  it  was  found  to  be  full  of 
deep  ravines,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  broken 
timber,  and  very  tall,  dense  chaparral.  Under 
proper  circumstances  (i.e.,  with  a  good  supply  of 
provisions  and  ammunition  and  twenty-five  thou 
sand  men),  it  could  resist  any  force  we  could  bring 
against  it. 

We  made  some  assaults ;  but  they  were  soon 
found  to  be  of  little  use.  We  could  not  get  near 
enough  to  the  enemy  to  make  a  dash  over  the 
parapet.  We  had  to  grope  our  way  through  deep 
ravines,  or  slowly  find  it  under  and  over  fallen 
timber.  A  regiment  could  not  march  in  line,  on 
account  of  the  thick  chaparral,  brier-bushes,  and 
gullies.  We  then  sat  down  quietly,  to  starve  the 
rebels  out,  and  to  harass  them  by  our  artillery 


ON    THE   MARCH.  293 

practice.  We  fenced  them  in  with  our  guns  some 
six  weeks  before  they  cried,  "  Enough  ! " 

It  was  very  interesting  to  go  along  our  line,  and 
note  the  little  events  which  history  will  think  too 
trivial  to  mention.  I  spent  a  few  hours  with  the 
Zouaves,  who  seem  to  be  as  wild  and  willing  a  set 
of  men  as  any  in  the  army.  Their  sharpshooters 
went  out  every  night,  carrying  twenty-four-hours' 
rations ;  and,  hiding  behind  some  providential  hil 
lock,  would  watch  eagerly  till  some  unfortunate 
head  was  lifted  above  the  parapet,  when  whiz 
would  go  a  bullet.  Fortunate  was  the  aforemen 
tioned  head,  if  it  could  open  its  eyes  to  the  world 
again.  Some  of  our  sharpshooters  crawled  up  to 
within  a  hundred,  and  even  eighty,  yards  of 
the  parapet;  and,  all  day,  the  constant  crack  of 
the  rifle  announced  that  some  one  unfortunate  had 
put  himself  in  a  dangerous  place. 

The  rebels,  too,  were  good  shots.  There  was 
one  man  who  was  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to 
us  ;  and  many  a  poor  fellow  will  testify  to  his  exist 
ence  by  showing  a  very  peculiar  and  ugly  wound 
in  leg  or  arm.  He  used  a  double-barreled  shot-gun, 
of  English  make,  with  a  bore  large  enough  to  admit 
a  ball  weighing  an  ounce  and  a  half.  The  bullets 
he  used  were  double  the  size  of  those  made  for  the 
Enfield  rifle.  He  covered  himself  with  the  long 
moss  which  hung  from  the  branches  of  every  tree ; 


294  ON    THE    MARCH. 

and,  climbing  some  forty  feet  up  a  sturdy  cypress, 
could  get  a  fine  view  of  many  of  the  sharpshooters, 
and  even  of  the  boys  in  the  most  advanced  batte 
ries.  We  never  could  tell  in  which  tree  he  was, 
though  we  were  constantly  on  the  watch  for  him ; 
and  yet,  if  you  chanced  to  show  your  head  over 
the  cotton-bales,  which  were  our  fortifications,  you 
would  be  reminded  of  the  necessity  of  prudence  by 
a  distinct  hum  which  is  a  very  unpleasant  sound  to 
hear.  He  disabled  men  standing  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  off.  I  do  not  know  that  he  actu 
ally  killed  any  one  at  that  distance ;  but  he  made 
some  very  disagreeable  wounds. 

One  of  our  men  was  captured  by  a  very  neat 
piece  of  strategy.  About  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  in  front  of  one  of  our  regiments  was  a 
spring  of  clear  cold  water.  After  having  drunk 
the  vile  fluid  which  oozes  through  a  clay  bank, 
oftentimes  impregnated  with  a  very  disagreeable 
odor,  and  always  having  the  appearance  of  mud 
paste  (being  chiefly  composed  of  that  very  neces 
sary  but  not  always  palatable  substance),  the  boys 
were  willing  to  run  some  little  risk  for  the  sake  of 
a  draft  of  genuine  water.  One  day,  a  sick  man 
asked  his  chum  to  fill  his  canteen.  Without  hesita 
tion,  he  promised  to  do  so;  and  so,  crawling  up 
with  all  due  caution,  he  at  last  reached  the  spring. 
It  so  happened,  however,  that  a  rebel  sharpshooter 


ON   THE    MARCH.  295 

had  seen  him.  He  waited  quietly  till  the  can 
teen  was  filled;  and  then,  drawing  a  bead  on  the 
soldier,  cried  out,  — 

"  I  say,  Yank  !  " 

The  startled  Unionist  at  once  saw  his  predica 
ment,  and  began  to  think  that  his  last  minute  had 
come.  He  at  last  got  voice  enough  to  cry  out,  — 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  Want  you.     Walk  over  this  way,  please." 

"  It  was  certainly  a  very  courteous  invitation, 
and  there  seemed  no  way  to  avoid  accepting  it ;  for 
the  rebel  kept  him  covered  with  his  rifle.  He  was 
in  an  unpleasant  predicament ;  and,  when  the  rebel 
had  enjoyed  his  embarrassment  long  enough,  he 
cried  out,— 

"  I  say,  Yank,  aren't  you  coming  ?  or  shall  I  send 
some  lead  after  you  ?  " 

This  was  a  very  pointed  remark.  Nothing  was 
left  the  poor  Unionist  but  to  obey ;  and  so,  with 
unwilling  steps,  he  walked  over  to  the  jocose  rebel, 
and  gave  himself  up. 

I  spent  a  couple  of  hours  very  pleasantly  behind 
a  four-gun  battery,  which  delivered  its  fire  every 
ten  minutes  throughout  the  day.  Its  business  was 
to  dismount  one  of  the  enemy's  pieces  on  the  works 
immediately  opposite.  The  rebels  worked  their 
gun  very  defiantly  for  a  long  while  (for  it  is  very 
difficult  to  hit  within  a  circle  five  feet  in  diameter, 


296  ON   THE   MARCH. 

a  mile  distant)  ;  but,  at  length,  a  well-directed  ball 
sent  clouds  of  dust  into  the  air,  and  scattered  the 
gunners,  who  did  not  return  during  the  day.  Along 
the  entire  line,  such  work  as  this  was  being  done 
every  hour.  We  must  have  thrown  many  tons  of 
iron,  which  was  expected  to  harass  the  enemy  ra 
ther  than  do  him  immediate  harm.  It  was  a  long, 
tedious,  and  dreary  work  to  capture  the  place. 
Disease  at  length  got  into  the  ranks,  arid  made  sad 
havoc  with  the  men.  Every  day,  loads  of  sick 
went  to  the  hospital.  Thither  I  followed,  in  my 
turn,  to  study  the  character  and  test  the  skill  of  the 
army-surgeon  ;  and,  I  must  confess,  I  have  not  been 
more  disappointed  in  any  body  of  officers.  That 
there  are  good  surgeons,  kind-hearted,  considerate, 
patriotic  men,  in  our  regiments,  I  will  not  doubt ; 
I  know  some  such  :  but  that  a  large  number  (shall  I 
say  a  large  majority?)  are  men  who  took  to  the  army 
because  they  could  not  make  a  living  in  the  coun 
try  town  from  which  they  came,  or  because,  being 
young,  their  blunders  can  be  more  easily  hidden 
there  than  anywhere  else,  I  do  most  seriously  aver. 
While  lying  on  my  blanket  (our  hospital  was  a 
cotton-shed,  a  roof  only),  I  watched  the  M.D.  as  he 
went  the  grand  round  among  his  patients.  His 
attendant  carried  some  quinine  powders  in  one 
hand,  and  a  large  box  of  blue  pills  in  the  other. 
The  first  patient  received  a  blue  pill,  the  second  a 


ON    THE   MAKCH.  297 

quinine  powder,  the  next  a  blue  pill,  and  so  on  ; 
the  one  medicine  alternating  with  the  other,  until 
the  whole  number  had  been  prescribed  for.  The 
next  morning,  the  first  patient,  who  had  the  day 
before  swallowed  a  blue  pill,  received  a  quinine 
powder  j  and  the  next  one,  who  had  been  regaled 
with  a  quinine  powder,  received  a  blue  pill ;  and 
so  on,  again,  to  the  end  of  the  row.  As  I  turned 
over,  and  groaned,  wondering  which  of  those  two 
diabolical  medicines  it  would  be  my  lot  to  gulp 
down,  I  could  not  help  wondering  at  the  flexibility 
of  a  surgeon's  conscience  ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
my  wonder  at  the  mortality  in  the  army  ceased. 

It  was  a  grand  day,  —  the  glorious  old  Fourth  of 
July,  —  when  a  strange  steamer  came  bowling 
down  the  river,  bringing  the  unexpected  but  glo 
rious  news  of  the  fall  of  Yicksburg.  When  it  was 
announced,  the  whole  line  sent  up  its  joy  in  many 
a  ringing  hurrah  and  many  a  silent  prayer.  The 
news  reached  Gen.  Gardner's  ears,  and  he  at  once 
sent  to  Banks  to  know  if  it  was  true.  Our  general 
sent  back  a  copy  of  the  official  despatch  from  Grant, 
and  that  day  Port  Hudson  changed  hands.  Gard 
ner  said,  "If  Vicksburg  has  fallen,  it  is  of  no  use 
for  me  to  hold  out  longer."  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  rebel  officers  were  dismayed ;  but  I  have  very 
good  authority  for  believing  that  the  rank  and  file 
were  glad  enough  to  end  their  war  experiences 

25 


298  ' ON    THE   MARCH. 

then  and  there.  They  were  poorly  clothed,  having 
on  no  uniform,  —  nothing  but  the  rude,  home-made 
clothes  of  the  South,  —  and  had  been  for  some  time 
on  short  rations.  They  had  been  deserting  in  large 
numbers  for  many  days,  and  were  doubtless  glad 
to  be  freed  from  the  conscription-act,  and  from 
imperilling  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  the  slave 
holders. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  the  Mississippi  was  opened 
from  the  Passes  to  Cairo,  the  Confederacy  was  cut 
in  two,  and  the  rebel  cause  received  a  blow  from 
which  it  will  never  recover. 
.  The  dawn  has  come  after  patient  waiting.  When 
will  the  "  perfect  day  "  come  ? 


THE     END. 


Printed  by  John  Wilson  and  Son,  Boston. 


CN 


